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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28270269">113 Days Later</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dazzlious/pseuds/Dazzlious'>Dazzlious</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In Time Series [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, F/M, Prostate Massage, Spanking, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:47:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>40,582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28270269</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dazzlious/pseuds/Dazzlious</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Is Hermione still just a Muggle artefact?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Arthur Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In Time Series [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2071068</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Wednesday 23 December 1998</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: This is the follow-up to ‘Seven Days’ and takes place, as the title suggests, one hundred and thirteen days after the events in the original story, so if you haven’t read it you might want to start there first. I hope you enjoy. Dx</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur was feeling restless.</p><p>He put down his screwdriver and glanced up at the calendar hanging above his workbench, his eyes taking in the thick black crosses that covered most of the dates, only eight remaining uncovered now until the end of the year. The current date and cross were surrounded by a box which signified that today was special. This morning, students from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including his daughter Ginny and a family friend, Hermione Granger, had started the long journey home from Hogsmeade way up in the Highlands of Scotland for the Christmas holidays.</p><p>Arthur looked at his watch, his heartbeat increasing slightly as he realised the girls should almost be at the Burrow by now if they weren’t here already. He was slightly disconcerted at how excited he suddenly felt, but there was anxiety there too that caused a band of tightness in his chest, making breathing difficult.</p><p>He silently chided himself for being so pathetic. Hermione was definitely coming to the Burrow, that he already knew. Molly had confirmed it only this morning when she had laid out the entire family’s plans for the holidays so there was no need for him to be anxious. But Arthur knew his anxiety ran far deeper than whether Hermione was intending to stay with them for Christmas.</p><p>When he had last seen her, one hundred and thirteen days ago, Hermione had promised to return to him and to this shed which had, until the final week of the summer holidays, always been his solitary refuge of contemplation and calm. In one week she had turned the place into something completely different, and despite Arthur’s attempts to put the beautiful young woman out of his mind and return to what he once had he couldn’t wait for her to come back to the Burrow, and hopefully the shed, and start the games all over again.</p><p>In the immediate aftermath of their last morning together, which had seen Arthur completely shatter his marriage vows when and he and Hermione had finally had sex before anyone else had made it out of bed, he had been eager for the exquisite feeling that had been missing from his life for years to continue and he had, momentarily, considered trying to stop Hermione from leaving as he didn’t want to let go of her.</p><p>It was a stupid thought and one that had been discarded within seconds, especially when Hermione told him she was still part of his collection — the excuse she had initially provided him with to allow him to do whatever he wanted with her without fear of guilt ruining his long marriage to Molly. While the excuse had been a good one it hadn’t completely stopped the guilt, Arthur remembered, which was why it had taken a whole week for him to give in to that final temptation.</p><p>But he hadn’t exactly been faithful in the run-up with so much on offer. Hermione was both eager to please and extraordinarily open to suggestion, and Arthur had never felt enough guilt to stop completely or to hold back when it became clear that Hermione’s desires and his were perfectly aligned. She had made it so easy for him, with her unspoken rules that she clung to rigidly in her determination not to ruin his marriage. There was no intimacy of a romantic nature between them, only sexual, and the relationship had never once strayed outside of the shed, not even a single furtive glance.</p><p>At the end, before she had left him, Arthur felt the urge to break the rules; to pull Hermione to him and kiss her and admit to his intensified feelings for her. He hadn’t done it although he half suspected she felt the same way with the tender but chaste kiss she bestowed upon him. Instead, he had let her leave with a promise to be waiting, ready to examine her and make her one of his artefacts once more, and she had gone, leaving him counting off the days on the calendar until her return.</p><p>Now, here he was, sitting in his shed and worrying that Hermione might have changed her mind, that she might no longer want to be part of his collection. Although she had been adamant back in the summer, that had been almost four long months ago now and a lot could have happened in that time. While Arthur had spent his days in the same way he always had, with no excitement in the shed to break up the monotony, Hermione had fallen back into school life and the social whirlwind that went with it; she probably hadn’t even had time to think about him or the things they had done together.</p><p><em>Sweet Merlin, please let her not have changed her mind</em>, Arthur begged silently, but then a momentary wave of revulsion washed over him, directed at himself. What on earth was wrong with him? He was a stupid old man sitting alone in a shed and hoping that a girl young enough to be his daughter was going to come to visit him and do . . . what, exactly? The truth was that he really shouldn’t be hoping that Hermione was going to want to pick up where they had left off. It wasn’t fair to her and it definitely wasn’t fair to Molly.</p><p>Arthur had battled with his guilt several times in the early days after Hermione left because she wasn’t there to help to force it away as she had always so effortlessly managed to do during the week they had spent together. He had even once almost come close to admitting to Molly what he had done because he could see the changes it had made to his relationship with his wife and was worried that she would realise, which in his mind was worse than him admitting his infidelity.</p><p>But by then a month had passed since Hermione had returned to school, and without her there to stoke his arousal Arthur found the guilt waning once more, retreating deep inside him as that little demon that had taken up residence in his soul congratulated him on staying strong and getting away with it. He had tried hard to forget about Hermione and return to his Muggle appliances but it had been almost impossible, probably not helped by the calendar and him counting down the days until she would return to him. But however hard he tried he couldn’t stop himself from doing it. </p><p>While he could now change plugs like a pro and had built a crystal wireless radio receiver from scratch using parts he had acquired through contacts at the Ministry of Magic and with instructions from an old booklet that had been hiding in his pile of manuals — even though he still had absolutely no idea what it was used for — the manual labour hadn’t stopped him fantasising about Hermione and her perfect body.</p><p>Arthur had lost count of the number of times he had spent an evening remembering her tight young breasts that just begged to be played with, the nipples stiffening so easily and ripe for sucking. He thought of her pert bottom and of how it looked after he caned her, the rosy stripes showing clearly on the soft, creamy flesh, and he spent a lot of time remembering how she had tasted when he buried his face in the soft folds of her sex. He remembered, too, how she had felt when he was inside her; tight muscles gripping and squeezing as they clung to each other, giving their all in their determination to each give each other the ultimate satisfaction.</p><p>There were other fantasies too, which generally focussed on the things Arthur wanted to do with Hermione but had so far not had the opportunity. These last were wide-ranging and in some cases he knew completely perverse, but he was only imagining it, even if he did suspect that Hermione would agree to anything he suggested while they were in the shed.</p><p>But now the one hundred and thirteen days of waiting were over and as the day drew on Arthur  became more and more convinced that he was making a fool of himself. He had never understood why Hermione was interested in him in the first place. He wasn’t particularly handsome, he was middle-aged, balding, and even had a paunchy stomach although she hadn’t seemed to mind that when they had both finally got naked. He was hardly likely to be anyone’s idea of an ideal man, and no doubt now that she had got her infatuation over and done with, Hermione wouldn’t be interested in him any longer.</p><p>Arthur wondered whether he should break Hermione’s unspoken rules and have a word with her back in the house if she didn't come to the shed as promised; something quiet and non-judgemental to tell her that he understood her choice and didn’t hold any bad feelings against her for it. But deep inside he knew he wouldn’t say anything to her. If Hermione didn’t want to come back to the shed then he would let her slip away without a fuss, and maybe that would be for the best.</p><p>The rules had been in place but he had come close to breaking them last time. He couldn’t let himself do it now, not when they had got away with it. It was better for everyone that he keep as far away from Hermione as possible and then, once the holiday was over and she and Ginny returned to school, he could finally tuck away the fantasies for good and with any luck return the shed to its original purpose.</p><p>He opened the drawer in his workbench and pulled out the bottle of Firewhisky and glass he kept in there. Arthur didn’t drink much but he did occasionally enjoy a glass or two while he was out here in the evening, sitting quietly and contemplating problems and their possible solutions while he slowly sipped the amber liquid. Although it was a solitary pursuit he wasn’t doing it in secret. Molly knew he kept a bottle out here but was also savvy enough never to say anything about it.</p><p>Arthur took a mouthful of the whisky, then leant back in his seat and closed his eyes as he rolled the liquid around his mouth, enjoying the slight burning sensation. He would finish his drink and put away his equipment, then he would head back into the house, ready to greet his daughter and Hermione, who must surely be home by now.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hermione stared nervously at the closed door.</p><p>It had been one hundred and thirteen days since she had last been inside Arthur’s shed, and it felt both like a lifetime and as if it was only yesterday. She had spent almost every free moment of her time at Hogwarts reminiscing about the week she had spent with her favourite Weasley, reliving in full and glorious detail the exquisite memories of the pleasure they had given each other.</p><p>When she had left the shed on the morning she was due to return to school Hermione had felt pleasantly sated, having finally achieved her aim of having sex with Arthur although it had taken her a full week to accomplish it. The sex itself had been phenomenal, so much better than she had ever fantasised it would be and made what she and Ron had done previously seem childish and clumsy by comparison.</p><p>But everything else that had taken place in the shed — the foreplay and even the caning Arthur had given her — were all equally magnificent and it had given Hermione a rich seam of memories to plunder that had kept her going during the barren days and long nights at school.</p><p>Although she had enjoyed her time in the shed more than she would ever admit, Hermione hadn’t found it particularly hard to leave as she knew she would be returning and was convinced the enforced separation would make both her and Arthur even more eager to resume where they had left off. She had imagined time and again about what their reconciliation would be like, and it had been every bit as charged as their previous encounters.</p><p>Now she was finally back at the Burrow, the day she had been dreaming about for almost four long months, and doubt had begun to creep into her mind, making her anxious and fretful, and her stomach was doing somersaults, making her feel queasy.</p><p>Hermione knew the problem was hers, that she had set unrealistic expectations for herself, and now she was worried the reality wouldn’t be able to match up. She knew Arthur had enjoyed their games in the summer every bit as much as she had, but she had no idea what his feelings were for her or whether he was as excited about her return as she had fantasised about him being — they had never discussed it.</p><p>Unfortunately, this lack of discussion was one of the rules Hermione had set herself when she first decided to initiate her plan.</p><p>The plan had been to become one of Arthur’s Muggle artefacts, just another piece of equipment to be played with and examined in whichever way he chose. From the outset Hermione had been adamant that whatever happened between them, and at that stage there was no guarantee that anything would, their ‘relationship’ would only ever take place in the confines of the shed, it would never spill over into everyday life.</p><p>Hermione hadn’t wanted to end Arthur’s long and happy marriage to Molly just because she had an unquenchable desire to get into his pants, so she had come up with the plan and the rules that governed it: contact would remain purely in the shed; no calling Arthur by anything other than Mr Weasley; no kissing on the mouth; no discussion about ‘feelings’ — in short, nothing that would increase their intimacy. She wanted only sexual fulfilment, not love and romance.  </p><p>Despite her growing cupidity for Arthur, Hermione had been successful in sticking to all of the rules although she had come close to breaking the kissing one on the morning she left for school, her fervour for Arthur so strong after finally having sex with him that she would have given anything to feel his lips on hers, even if only once. But she had succeeded in restraining herself, giving in to only a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth before she ran away, promising to return at Christmas.</p><p>Arthur had seemed keen to welcome her back at the time, joking about having to give her a full examination when she returned. But that was then and in the heat of the moment that had just seen them fucking each other’s brains out. One hundred and thirteen days had passed since then and it was eminently possible that by now he might have changed his mind.</p><p>Hermione had always known that Arthur harboured some guilt at what they were doing. It was unavoidable when he was essentially cheating on his wife after thirty-odd long years of marriage. Although she had done everything she could to make the encounters as unemotional as possible she hadn’t been able to erase the guilt. She was convinced that this was why it had taken a whole week for them to finally have sex.</p><p>During that week Hermione had been able to push at Arthur’s defences, had successfully forced away the guilt in order to achieve the outcome she had so desired. But with three months and more since she had last seen him, Arthur had had plenty of time to rediscover the guilt and feel the full force of it. If that was the case then any hope she had of resuming her place as one of his Muggle artefacts was about to be dashed.</p><p>Disappointment welled within her for a moment at the thought that she might be unable to rekindle what she’d had with Arthur, that she would have known such joy just for it to be taken away.</p><p>Hermione stared at the door again. Perhaps it would be for the best if she just returned to the house and didn’t go into the shed. That way she would never have to find out whether Arthur would have accepted her back or not. She would still have her fantasies, could still pretend. Nothing would change in the house and Arthur would never talk to her about it — he abided by the rules she had set even if they had never formally discussed them.</p><p>But Hermione knew that despite her fears she would enter the shed. She had no choice. Her desire for Arthur was every bit as strong as it had been in the summer, even stronger if she was being honest. She wanted him with every fibre of her being, so until he told her to her face that he didn’t want her to be one any longer, she would remain one of his artefacts.</p><p>Hermione looked around her to make sure no one was in the vicinity to see what she was about to do, took a deep breath, and opened the shed door. </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Arthur started as a slight creaking sound pulled him out of the doze he had fallen into. It seemed the Firewhisky had relaxed him rather more than he had expected, aided, no doubt, by the long hours he had been putting in at the Ministry recently. He put down his almost empty glass on the workbench and stared around him blearily, rubbing his eyes under his glasses as he did so.</p><p>Hermione was standing in front of the closed door. She looked anxious as if worried about disturbing him. Arthur erupted from the seat, his heart leaping for joy as a huge smile crossed his face.</p><p>‘Hermione! Welcome back.’</p><p>Hermione’s expression softened as she smiled too, the anxiety dropping away from her.</p><p>‘Hullo, Mr Weasley.’</p><p>Arthur hurried across the shed and wrapped his arms around Hermione to enfold her in a huge hug. His heart was still hammering at the realisation that she had come back to him.</p><p>‘God, I’ve missed you,’ Hermione said honestly.</p><p>‘I’ve missed you too,’ Arthur replied with another smile.</p><p>They stared at each other for a moment, seemingly unable to believe that they were finally back together.</p><p>‘I want you so much,’ Hermione whispered.</p><p>As her arms wrapped around Arthur in return, her mouth sought out his; at that moment she didn’t care that she was breaking one of her unspoken rules. All she could think was that Arthur still wanted her and she wanted to kiss him, wanted that forbidden fruit however dangerous it was. Arthur’s mouth found hers with equal fervour as still he held her close.</p><p>‘I’m sorry I was so late coming out here, but it was the first chance I had to get away,’ Hermione explained once there was a break in the kissing.</p><p>Arthur squeezed her tightly. ‘I’m just glad you’re here.’</p><p>‘Me too,’ she said happily as Arthur’s lips found hers once more.</p><p>It wasn’t long before his hands were roaming, working on opening her cardigan as they continued to kiss.</p><p>‘Not so easy at this time of year,’ he pointed out with a touch of amusement. ‘You’ve got too many clothes on.’</p><p>Hermione chuckled. ‘I can soon take them off.’</p><p>‘I’m not sure it’s warm enough in here at the moment, is it?’ he asked.</p><p>‘Oh, I’m feeling quite hot right now,’ Hermione admitted with a wicked grin.</p><p>‘You are <em>hot</em>,’ Arthur said as his mouth moved to plant whisper-soft kisses down Hermione’s throat, ‘but I don’t want you to catch a chill and be unwell.’</p><p>His hands slid under the jumper Hermione was wearing beneath her cardigan and stroked the soft, warm skin on her midriff before cupping and squeezing her breasts, enjoying the feel of the stiff nipples pressing through the lace of her bra and into his palms.</p><p>Hermione gave a small sigh of pleasure. ‘I’ve missed this so much.’ She kissed him again, seeming unable to stop now she had started.</p><p>Arthur followed suit, more than happy to indulge in this more intimate act even though he knew deep down that it would only complicate things in the long run. He held Hermione to him, his rock-hard erection pressed unapologetically against her, enjoying the taste of her mouth and the feel of her breasts and her soft body wrapped around his. He picked her up and carried her to the workbench, sitting her on it as they continued to kiss.</p><p>‘Gods, I want to fuck you,’ he admitted. ‘I know I told you I would give you a full examination when you returned but—’</p><p>‘Yes!’ Hermione cut him off with her fervent agreement. ‘Oh yes, please, Mr Weasley.’ Her hands were already pulling at his robe as she spoke.</p><p>‘Call me Arthur,’ he begged, not caring that another of the unspoken rules was being broken.</p><p>Hermione bit her bottom lip for a second, then gave a nod of agreement.</p><p>‘Arthur,’ she whispered with a smile.</p><p>Arthur’s lips captured hers again.</p><p>‘I don’t want to hurt you,’ he told her anxiously. ‘You might not be ready, or—’</p><p>Hermione cut him off with another kiss.</p><p>‘I’m definitely ready, don’t you worry about that,’ she admitted afterwards. ‘It’s all I’ve thought about all day — all week, actually.’</p><p>‘Are you sure?’ Arthur still sounded concerned but it didn’t stop him from removing Hermione’s boots.</p><p>‘Oh god, yes. Please, just fuck me, Arthur. I need it.’</p><p>Hermione moved her bottom off the workbench to assist in Arthur’s removal of her jeans and knickers, then she opened her legs, pulling him towards her once more. He had pulled down his underpants and the head of his erection brushed against her sex. She gave a small whimper of anticipation.</p><p>But still Arthur demurred, worried about hurting Hermione until eventually she growled in frustration.</p><p>‘Please, Arthur. I promise I’m ready. Just fuck me, will you? I want you inside me.’</p><p>That, it seemed, did the trick and Arthur thrust, savouring the almost unbearably perfect feeling as Hermione’s tight muscles wrapped around his erection and she gasped loudly. Despite her insistence at her readiness for penetration she wasn’t anywhere near as wet as he had expected and immediately he began to feel guilty for not following his instincts and ensuring she was better prepared.</p><p>But before he had a chance to vocalise this, wanting to apologise for hurting her, Hermione was already moaning and gasping, loudly crying out her appreciation as she clung to him, her body moving against his, the slow undulating movements causing his blood to tingle as the most exquisite feeling rose inside him.</p><p>‘Oh fuck, that feels so good,’ Hermione hissed, ‘Oh god . . . Arthur . . . Arthur!’</p><p>Arthur agreed entirely with the sentiment, his own thick moans of pleasure joining Hermione’s as he sped up, knowing he wasn’t going to last much longer but also knowing it didn’t matter. From the sounds she was making Hermione was as close to orgasm as he was. He held her as tightly as she was holding him, whispering into her hair as the exquisite and almost excruciating feeling spread from his balls and up through his whole body, almost stopping him from both moving and breathing.</p><p>Hermione jerked her pelvis as she gave a long, low wail. The sudden sharp movement with the accompanying muscle spasm was enough to make Arthur erupt and he roared loudly and jubilantly as he emptied himself, joining the flood Hermione had already produced. Gasping for breath, their lips met again and again, frantic pecking kisses at first that gave way to deeper, more passionate ones as they continued to cling to each other, Arthur still buried inside Hermione and wanting never to leave. </p><p>After a few minutes Arthur felt her start to move again and was amazed to discover that he was able to return the favour. Somehow he was hard again, and all he could think was how much he wanted to fuck. He wanted to make Hermione scream with joy, wanted to hear his name on her lips as she came for him. He wanted to cum for her too, wanted to fill her perfect body with his seed, wanted her to belong to him and no one else.</p><p>Arthur built up a steady rhythm, concentrating purely on Hermione and the sounds she was making in an attempt to ignore his own already rising climax. Her legs were wrapped around him, her heels digging into his buttocks, pushing him inside her as she told him again and again how much she was enjoying what he was doing to her.</p><p>Hermione was flushed, her eyes closed and her breathing shallow as Arthur continued to pound away, his own breath coming in short panting gasps as he savoured the feeling her tight muscles were causing in his cock. It was no good, he was going to cum again, and as much as he delighted in the feeling he wanted more. He wanted Hermione to cum too, wanted to hear those amazing noises she made, wanted her to experience what he was experiencing; to understand just how perfect this moment was — how extraordinary and exquisite it was.</p><p>‘Oh gods, I’m going to cum again,’ he warned, knowing he could hold on no longer.</p><p>Hermione’s lips found his once more, her eyes opening to stare into his as still they moved together, this small act somehow seeming to increase the intimacy between them even more. Then she was crying out Arthur’s name again, the sound as pitch-perfect as he could ever have hoped for, and he flooded her sex, giving her every last drop as a paean to her perfection, holding her tightly as Hermione shrieked in his arms, the feeling having overwhelmed her at last.</p><p>It was several minutes before they finally parted. Arthur performed a cleaning charm on both of them before pulling his underpants back up. He watched, still totally enraptured as Hermione redressed, the familiar feeling of disappointment as she covered herself giving way to a desire to take her in his arms and kiss her again.</p><p>Arthur looked at his watch. It was almost eight o’clock which meant it was nearly time for dinner. He and Hermione would need to return to the house before someone came looking for them. It would never do for Hermione to be caught in the shed. It was supposed to be his solitary place, and that misconception was what had stopped them from being caught in their perfidy previously. If they wanted any chance for this relationship to continue then the visits had to remain a secret.</p><p>‘That was amazing,’ Hermione said with a smile. She was breathing heavily. ‘Definitely the best gift I’m going to get this Christmas.’ She wrapped her arms around Arthur and gave him another hug, fighting the urge to kiss him once more.</p><p>She already knew the kissing had been a mistake. Now it had happened she didn’t want it to stop, and Hemione knew she would happily spend hours exploring Arthur’s mouth with her own if she had the opportunity. It seemed to elevate everything, to heighten the sensations she experienced until it was almost unbearable . . . yet oh so perfect. But it also intensified those feelings she knew she shouldn’t have, that she wasn’t allowed to have because Arthur was a married man who had no intention of leaving his wife.</p><p>‘There’s plenty more where that came from,’ Arthur assured her, pulling Hermione’s thoughts away from the uncomfortable territory they had been straying into. ‘My cock is yours whenever you want it.’</p><p>For a moment Arthur was hit by a touch of guilt at his words, knowing full well that he shouldn’t be telling Hermione this when he was married to Molly. By rights, his cock belonged to his wife if it belonged to anyone, even if she didn’t want it anywhere near as regularly as she once had. But with the feelings Hermione had stirred within him he couldn’t help himself, and he wanted it to be true. He wanted to belong to Hermione every bit as much as he wanted her to belong to him, and not just as an artefact in his shed, either.</p><p>The previously unspoken rules being broken hadn’t helped. The kissing had caused a problem, intensifying the emotions running between them and heightening the sensation. He had then compounded the problem by insisting Hermione call him by his first name rather than by the more formal title she had used during their interactions in the summer. Arthur had known it was wrong even as he asked for it, but he had so wanted that closeness and the added excitement that hearing her say his name during climax had brought.</p><p>He glanced at his gorgeous lover, wondering what she was thinking. Hermione was still flushed, her skin that beautiful shade of pink she always went when she was highly aroused. She was so stunning that it almost hurt to look at her. He still had absolutely no idea what she saw in him; why she was so happy to give herself to him time and again.</p><p>‘We should be getting back to the house. It’s almost dinner time,’ he said as he released her. He grinned. ‘You look a bit flushed. I hope no one’s going to realise what you’ve been up to.’</p><p>‘I wouldn’t worry about that; no one else has ever seen me after an orgasm so they’ll just think it’s from walking in the cold,’ Hermione replied.</p><p>Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘What about Ron? Surely you and he—?’</p><p>‘I don’t think he ever made me cum, and certainly not like you do.’ She blushed prettily and shrugged. ‘It was only a few times anyway. We soon realised that we’re much better as friends than lovers.’ Hermione paused for a moment as if she had said something she shouldn’t, then, ‘Thank you again, Arthur.’ With a wave, she opened the door and left the shed.</p><p>Arthur was surprised at how happy Hermione’s admission that she and his son weren’t a couple made him although he knew it should make no difference. He was married so it wasn’t as if he had a say in her life and who she let into it and it wasn’t as if he could become her boyfriend — not outside of the shed, anyway — and the whole point there was that Hermione was just another of his artefacts to be examined and played with as he saw fit. It wasn’t supposed to be a romantic entanglement.</p><p>His heart still hammering and with adrenalin racing through his system, Arthur picked up the long-forgotten glass, drained the last of the Firewhisky, then put it in his drawer. He spent a few minutes calming himself before following Hermione out of the shed and back into the house, fervently hoping Molly wasn’t going to notice the changes in him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Thursday 24 December 1998</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur wondered whether now the rules had been broken inside the shed, Hermione might break them outside too. During the summer she had always been very careful not to treat him in any way differently to the way she had always done. Inside the house he was only ever Ron’s dad and there were no sneaky looks or sly touches to give away what happened elsewhere. But the kissing had changed everything and it was possible it might affect the way she treated him, which would then impact how the rest of the family viewed them. He knew he needed to remain vigilant and be ready to ensure things didn’t get out of hand.</p>
<p>However, it seemed he was being unnecessarily anxious as once he returned to the house to join his family for dinner Hermione treated him no differently than usual. She was polite yet distant, her only interaction with him to say a brief hullo and to thank him for allowing her to stay at the Burrow for Christmas. Once dinner was out of the way and she had helped Molly with the washing up, the rest of the evening was spent with Ron, Ginny, and Harry playing Exploding Snap in the lounge and she only said a general goodnight to the room at large before going up to bed.</p>
<p>Even at breakfast this morning she had given nothing more than the usual pleasantries before disappearing behind the newspaper as she ate her toast; she didn’t even look in his direction when her friends asked her to join them on a walk to the village. She had wrapped herself up in scarf, hat and gloves, grabbed her coat and put on her boots, and headed off out into the cold morning without so much as a look back.</p>
<p>Arthur spent a couple of hours helping Molly with some work she needed doing around the house in readiness for the party they were holding in the evening, but as soon as he could manage he headed to his shed feeling the need to be alone. He had no idea if Hermione was intending to join him at any point during the day, but if she did he would have to have a word with her. It was too late to stop her calling him Arthur; there was no way they could sensibly return to the more formal address now that barrier had been broken. But they could stop the kissing, which he was certain would eventually cause far more problems than his name.</p>
<p>He didn’t really want to stop kissing Hermione. In fact, he had spent quite some time the previous night while she was with her friends focussing on her wonderful mouth and remembering how good she tasted. Arthur had actually become so engrossed that he hadn’t noticed Molly talking to him, and the guilt had resurfaced when he realised he was far more interested in Hermione than in anything his wife had to say. Arthur had covered well enough, pretending that exhaustion after work had made him drift away, all the while hoping Molly hadn’t noticed the direction in which he had been staring. But it had taken a considerable amount of willpower to ignore Hermione for the rest of the evening.</p>
<p>However, once he was in bed Arthur returned to Hermione’s mouth and those marvellous kisses that so intensified the feelings between them. He suspected that he could happily spend all day with Hermione wrapped in his arms, the two of them kissing, not even bothering with any other activity. But unfortunately, it had to cease. Arthur was going to have to remind her that she was just one of his artefacts and would be treated accordingly.</p>
<p>It was going to be so hard to do, though.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hermione hurried across the yard, making her way to the shed, aware that she didn’t have much time. She’d had no choice but to go for a walk with Harry, Ron and Ginny when they had asked her earlier, otherwise they would have wondered why she didn’t want to go out with them. Unfortunately, that meant she couldn’t use going for a walk as an excuse to get her out of the house so she could go and spend some time with Arthur.</p>
<p>Then, to make things worse, both Harry and Ron had separately requested that she help them with wrapping their Christmas presents which, being typical blokes, they had of course, left right until the last minute to sort out, even though they had known there was going to be a party in the evening. She promised both that she would help them, knowing it would only cause an argument if she refused, but told them they would need to wait until after tea.</p>
<p>Molly was looking for help in the kitchen and had already roped in Ginny, but Hermione knew that if she volunteered she was never going to get any time alone with Arthur today. The thought of that was completely unbearable as she was already fairly certain they weren’t going to get any time alone together tomorrow as it was Christmas Day and Arthur would be expected to spend it with all the family, not hiding away in his shed.</p>
<p>Despite feeling a little guilty about doing so, she feigned a headache, citing the need to lie down for a while to get her out of doing any of the work. Molly accepted it without question and while she and Ginny set to work making mince pies, quiches and more for the party, Hermione went back upstairs to the room she shared with Ginny to ‘sleep it off’, promising herself that she would give extra help with the Christmas dinner the following morning to make up for what she wasn’t doing today.</p>
<p>Once she was certain everyone was otherwise engaged Hermione crept back down the stairs, remembering to miss the squeaky step that would give away her duplicity, and snuck out the front door, pulling it to quietly before creeping around the house, ducking down to pass under the kitchen window. Fortunately, it was already getting dark and she could stick to the shadows to get to Arthur’s shed without being seen, but she still ran, just in case someone came out of the kitchen door.</p>
<p>As she reached the shed Hermione thought about what she had to do. Although she had very much enjoyed kissing Arthur and would be more than happy to continue to do so, breaking that rule had definitely changed things between them and she needed to nip it in the bud before it got out of hand. Regardless of what she might want, Arthur was a married man and wasn’t going to give up thirty-odd years of marriage just because their kisses were incredible, nor did she want him to . . . not really.</p>
<p>It would be a lie to say that she hadn’t considered what it would be like to be a real lover with full and unfettered access to Arthur several times over the preceding three-odd months, but she had always known it was just a fantasy. It could never become a reality. She was just part of Arthur’s Muggle collection, not his girlfriend.</p>
<p>But the kissing had definitely made things more intimate between them and although Hermione had just about managed to stick to her rules in the house and hadn’t treated Arthur any differently than she always had, she knew the same couldn’t be said for him. Several times she had noticed him watching her, however much she tried to ignore it, and he had even ended up in a slight altercation with Molly because of it. He had obviously given a plausible excuse — that time — but it couldn’t continue or they would get caught. And that just couldn’t be allowed to happen.</p>
<p>For a moment Hermione wondered whether she should also go back to calling Arthur by his more formal title. At first, she decided there was little point unless that too proved to be a problem for him; she had always thought of him as Arthur but called him Mr Weasley in the company of others and didn’t expect to have a problem remembering to do so in the future as it was second nature to her by now. But then she remembered she was just a Muggle artefact. He was Mr Weasley to her and should remain so, however much she might want it otherwise. </p>
<p>Both the kissing and the name had to go.</p>
<p>Hermione opened the door to the shed and slipped inside, pleased that it was far warmer in there than out in the yard although it didn’t anywhere near meet the warmth of the house. She remembered how hot the place had got during the summer and wished some of that heat could have been retained or transferred. She was definitely going to feel the chill if Arthur undressed her, although with the small amount of time available to them that wasn’t likely to be a problem today.</p>
<p>She smiled at Arthur as he looked round from his workbench and he stood up as she walked towards him. </p>
<p>‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you yesterday, Mr Weasley,’ Hermione said, sounding rueful, before stepping into his open arms. She needed to get it said and make sure he understood it wasn’t going to happen again before there was any intimacy between them. ‘It was wonderful and I really do love kissing you, but that’s not what this is about. I’m meant to be an artefact and nothing more. It’s supposed to stay in here, not go into the house.’</p>
<p>Arthur stared at Hermione in surprise. Although she was saying everything he had been thinking and had intended to say to her, he was a little surprised she had thought of it. He had thought that only he had noticed the changes it had caused. And she had reverted to the more formal title too.</p>
<p>He nodded. ‘You’re right, Hermione. I very much enjoy kissing you as well but it makes everything so much more . . . personal. Perhaps I should give you that examination I promised you.’</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head. ‘There isn’t time for that today, unfortunately. I’m supposed to be upstairs asleep with a headache — it was my excuse to get out of helping Mrs Weasley and the others with food preparation, and tea will be ready soon. It’s just going to be a few bits with the party happening later.’</p>
<p>Arthur looked and felt disappointed at the realisation that there wasn’t going to be time to play. With all his concentration on his latest project he had completely forgotten about the party. Maybe they had been premature with stopping the kissing. A good session of that might just about make up for not getting to examine Hermione’s beautiful body, particularly when tomorrow was likely to be just as big a wash-out.</p>
<p>‘We really haven’t got much time but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything,’ Hermione told him, surprising Arthur once more. She had a wicked smirk on her face now. ‘I was going to do this yesterday, but, well . . . you know how things turned out.’</p>
<p>She was holding his robe and raised it to reveal his underpants as she had done several times during her summer visits. Her free hand brushed the hard bulge, then slid inside and grasped Arthur’s cock as he gave a small gasp. A few seconds later his erection was free and Hermione’s hand pumped him, the pressure exactly as he had shown her during the summer holiday. After another few minutes during which he definitely regretted giving up the kissing, Hermione dropped to her knees, her face now level with the hard, throbbing mass.</p>
<p>‘I think I thought about sucking your cock more than anything else during that very long exile at school,’ she admitted. ‘It’s even more magnificent than I remembered it being.</p>
<p>‘—I want you to cum for me, Mr Weasley.’</p>
<p>Hermione slid her mouth over the end of his cock, sucking it as deep as she could take it without gagging. Arthur hissed and gripped her shoulder, his eyes closing for a moment as he savoured the sensation. Hermione’s tongue was swirling around the shaft now, teasing and probing as she made her way towards the tip.</p>
<p>‘I don’t think it’s going to take long if you keep doing that,’ he just about managed to say.</p>
<p>Hermione looked up at him and he groaned. Gods, she looked amazing like that.</p>
<p>She sucked hard, only the head in her mouth now as if she was ready for him to erupt. Arthur knew he was close, but he wasn’t that close. Then he remembered Hermione’s trick for inducing his climax and wondered whether she was going to do it to him today. He really hoped she would.</p>
<p>Again her tongue licked and swirled, back down the hard length, all the way down to his testes. Arthur’s breath caught as Hermione moved to take one of his balls in her mouth, sucking gently on it as once again her hand resumed tugging him. The second soon followed, the sucking increasing in intensity, and then Arthur felt her fingers stroking that sensitive area between his scrotum and his anus and excitement fluttered in his stomach as it tightened, the exquisite feeling growing ever more intense.</p>
<p>Hermione had released his balls from her mouth and was now squeezing them gently as she once again returned her attention to his cock, swallowing him and sucking hard as her other hand moved slowly towards his anus. Arthur couldn’t stop his buttocks from clenching as Hermione pushed a finger inside him and he cried out, that shiver of excitement spreading further as she continued to milk him with her eager mouth, the sucking motion dragging the fluid from the base of his testicles and up through his hard, throbbing shaft.</p>
<p>With a cry of desire he moved his hips, fucking Hermione’s face as he rode her finger, her soft hand still massaging his balls as the seed rose within him. Another cry broke from him, sharper and more intense. Arthur was unable to hold back; the cum erupted as his cock twitched, finally stopping after the fourth pulse. He closed his eyes, enjoying the intense sensation coursing through his body. Her finger was gone now and she was no longer holding him, but Hermione continued to gently suck him for a few seconds before her tongue flicked out, cleaning his now softening cock of any remaining cum. She sat back, smirking, and watched Arthur silently for a moment, then she stood up.</p>
<p>‘You taste so good,’ she told him as she pressed against him.</p>
<p>Arthur felt the urge to grab her to him and kiss her soundly but knew he had to resist. No doubt Hermione was fighting it just as hard as he was, so he had to remain strong.</p>
<p>‘That was amazing, Thank you, Hermione,’ he said sincerely. Already he was wishing he could return the favour but knew it would have to wait. Tea would soon be ready and then he had a party to prepare for and host.</p>
<p>‘I’d better get going,’ Hermione said. She sounded disappointed. ‘Don’t want to be caught out here when I’m supposed to be ill in bed.’</p>
<p>Arthur wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her. ‘That really was fantastic. I definitely owe you one.’</p>
<p>For a moment he thought Hermione was going to kiss him and the thought caused a fluttering sensation in his stomach, but instead she pulled away from him, already heading for the door.</p>
<p>‘I’ll see you later,’ she said with a wink, and then she was gone.</p>
<p>Arthur pulled up his underpants then returned to his workbench to clear away his tools before returning to the house. As he worked he thought about what had just happened. Hermione’s blow job had been every bit as good as the previous ones she had given him, as good as he had told her it was, and he had enjoyed it very much.</p>
<p>But while it had been good there seemed to be something lacking, some spark that was missing. He knew even without thinking about it that it was the lack of kissing that had removed thefrisson that had been between them previously, had made it far more impersonal. Both he and Hermione had enjoyed it, but it could have been so much better.</p>
<p>Feeling guilty now for thinking that way when he knew he should just be grateful that Hermione was even willing to give him a blow job, Arthur finished clearing up and left the shed, walking slowly towards the back door. Banning the kissing was the right thing to do, he knew it was. But it was so bloody hard when it was now one of the things he most wanted to do with Hermione.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Friday 25 December 1998</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione opened her eyes and winced at the brightness that suddenly invaded her brain. Groaning softly, she closed them again and pulled the duvet up over her head, blocking out the light and trying not to notice the pounding that had started like jungle drums in her head.</p>
<p>‘Morning.’ Ginny’s voice permeated through the layers. ‘Got a hangover, have you?’</p>
<p>Hermione wasn’t sure she could talk, but she knew that now Ginny knew she was awake she would have no choice but to get up. She emerged slowly from beneath the duvet. The room was still unbearably bright, the sharp winter sun blazing through the window to coat the entire room with its pure white light. She groaned again.</p>
<p>‘I’m feeling rough as old boots this morning, so Merlin only knows how you must be feeling,’ Ginny rasped. She was sitting on the edge of her bed holding her head in her hands. ‘You really caned it last night, Hermione.’</p>
<p>Hermione gave another loud moan as she sat up, the pain flaring in her head. She had a nasty feeling she was going to be sick.</p>
<p>‘Scuse me a minute,’ she just about managed to croak as she forced herself out of bed, her hand going to her mouth as she ran for the door. A few minutes later she was back, her skin pale and clammy and her head still banging but at least most of the queasiness had gone. She was carrying a glass of water, which she passed to Ginny, who didn’t appear to have moved since Hermione had got up.</p>
<p>‘Here you go,’ she grunted.</p>
<p>Ginny took the proffered glass, stared at it for a moment as if it was poison, then took a tentative sip. She waited a couple of seconds to ensure there were no nasty repercussions, then took another, larger mouthful.</p>
<p>Hermione was now rummaging in her case, finally finding and pulling out a small bottle. As she walked back to her bed she un-stoppered it and took a mouthful of the potion within, then held it out to Ginny. Her friend took it and drank, then followed it with more water. She passed the glass back to Hermione.</p>
<p>‘My head hurts.’ Hermione’s speech had finally returned properly.</p>
<p>‘I know what you mean,’ Ginny commiserated. ‘What the hell was in that punch George made?’</p>
<p>Hermione gave a rueful chuckle as she sat back down on the bed and put the empty glass on the nightstand. ‘Merlin only knows, but it serves us right . . . we already know we can never trust George, so I don’t know why we drank something he prepared, especially when we had no idea what he had put in it.’</p>
<p>Ginny’s eyes glittered as she said, ‘Perhaps you felt you had no choice when it was your boyfriend plying you with the stuff.’</p>
<p>Hermione frowned. ‘My boyfriend? I haven’t got a boyfriend.’</p>
<p>‘No? Are you sure?’ Ginny asked wickedly. ‘With the amount of snogging you and George did last night I was certain you two had hooked up.’</p>
<p>‘I didn’t kiss him that much,’ Hermione said defensively, although the truth was that she was still having difficulty remembering with any clarity the party the night before.</p>
<p>‘You’ve got to be kidding. The two of you were locked together for half the evening,’ Ginny said, sounding amused. ‘Don’t you remember that Ron told you to get a room at one point . . . although to be honest, I think he was a bit jealous.’</p>
<p>As Ginny spoke, remembrance of the evening began flooding back and Hermione’s heart sank as she recalled the considerable amount of time she had spent with George, quite a lot of it away from the prying eyes of everyone else at the party. It looked like she needed to have a quiet chat with him today to make sure the remaining Weasley twin understood that what had happened between them had been because of drunkenness, on her part at least, and not because of any particular desire for him.</p>
<p>Drunk and feeling incredibly horny but unable to play with the man she really wanted, Hermione had let herself get carried away and she didn’t need George thinking there was anything between them because of it. She liked him, but not in that way. He was no replacement for Arthur, whatever she may have tried to pretend at the time.</p>
<p>‘Mind you, you were snogging <em>everyone</em> last night,’ Ginny continued blithely. ‘It was almost like you were following the mistletoe around. I think you really upset that new girlfriend of Percy’s when you freed him before she could do it.’ She chuckled. ‘You certainly weren’t holding back, either. Poor Percy looked shell-shocked. I don’t think he’s ever been kissed like that before.’</p>
<p>Hermione could feel her stomach churning again but this time it was with anxiety, not because of the hangover. There were still quite a few elements of the party that she didn’t remember but they were lurking around on the fringes of her memory like unwelcome ghosts getting ready to scare the life out of her.</p>
<p>‘You even got Dad. That was really funny,’ Ginny said.</p>
<p>‘Funny?’ Hermione asked weakly. Her heart was suddenly hammering in her chest as she tried to remember kissing Arthur and prayed that she hadn’t done anything stupid.</p>
<p>Ginny snorted but then sobered a little as she remembered. ‘He was one of the first people you kissed. I don’t think either of you realised you were trapped under the mistletoe at first, and no one else did either. Then Dad was going to go and talk to Kingsley, who had just arrived at the party, and he couldn’t move. You were already pretty drunk by then so you sort of grabbed him and really got stuck in. It was a bit awkward actually because then you seemed to realise what you’d done and you got really embarrassed about it. You kept apologising to Mum, kept telling her that you hadn’t meant to do it.’</p>
<p>She snorted again, then added, ‘I’d blame George for that, though. He was the one who kept plying you with alcohol in the first place — probably hoping he’d get to cop off with you. I think he’s got a real thing about you, Hermione.’ Ginny got up from the bed. She stretched, yawning loudly then added, ‘I’m going to go and have a shower. Maybe that will make me feel better because sitting here certainly isn’t doing anything to help. I’ll see you shortly.’</p>
<p>Hermione, mortified at what Ginny had just told her, sat silently on the bed as she wracked her still painful brain trying to recall the kiss with Arthur. Damn, she really had lost control, and badly from the sound of things. She should have known better than to get so drunk but Ginny was right about George plying her with his lethal punch. She remembered his grinning face every time he topped up her glass, assuring her that she was fine and that it wasn’t all that alcoholic.</p>
<p>She sighed. It hadn’t taken her long to get drunk, either. She wasn’t used to alcohol so it had affected her quickly, especially as she was already anxious about having to interact with Arthur with so many other people around, so she was drinking more quickly than she would normally do anyway.</p>
<p>Her original plan had been to completely ignore him as she usually did in the house unless someone pulled her into a conversation with him, in which case she would smile politely, say hullo, and move on. But then the punch had taken hold and the mistletoe had started appearing all over the room and all her common sense had flown out of the window, leaving only the overwhelming and almost crippling desire to kiss Arthur.</p>
<p>Hermione remembered that she had tried to ignore the urge, for a little while at least. But then she had got caught under some mistletoe while she was talking to Ron and the deeply unsatisfying kiss she had received from him made her desire for a decent kiss from the man she adored most in the world flare ever brighter.</p>
<p>It had only taken one more drink and her edging ever closer to the object of her affection before she was finally standing with Arthur talking about the Christmas tree decorations. Hermione knew that he had been feeling as awkward and anxious as she, trying hard to maintain control, and then the mistletoe appeared.</p>
<p>Despite what Ginny said, Hermione knew that Arthur had known it was there every bit as much as she had and he had also realised that they had no choice but to kiss if they wanted to move. Of course, if she hadn’t been so pissed the kiss would have been a brief peck on the cheek or maybe a chaste but cheeky kiss on Arthur’s lips before drawing away, but drunk and as ever, already aroused by being near Arthur, Hermione had grabbed him and kissed him every bit as ferociously as she had done that first time in the shed.</p>
<p>Fortunately, Arthur wasn’t drunk, and being far more sensible he had resisted the urge to kiss her back, instead pushing her away before quietly reminding her where they were. The horror at what she had just done engulfed the drunken Hermione like a tidal wave and she could remember the tears in her eyes as humiliation leached through her.</p>
<p>Feeling an urgent need to assuage the mistake she had just made, Hermione immediately accosted Molly, apologising profusely for her behaviour and assuring her that nothing like it would happen again. Molly had been surprisingly gracious, and a little amused, and had joked about it being Arthur’s Christmas present, which had done very little to ease Hermione’s guilt and absolutely nothing to stop her desire for another kiss with him.</p>
<p>That was when she had made the decision  — stupid, in hindsight — to kiss every man at the party in an attempt to cover up what she had done with Arthur. Being on the wrong side of drunk hadn’t helped as it made it seem like the logical solution. But now, in the cold light of day and nursing a stonking hangover, Hermione knew she had done nothing but make herself a laughingstock for the whole party, and she suspected she was in for a lot of ribbing about it from her friends.</p>
<p>The only good thing was that none of the Weasleys seemed to consider the kiss she had given Arthur to be any different from the ones she had given everyone else, so at least she had been successful in that, even if she had upset Percy’s new girlfriend and given George false expectations in the process.</p>
<p>Hermione knew she had to be careful after her stupid actions at the party. The good thing was that with the hangover she was currently suffering she had no desire to indulge in any more alcohol so she wasn’t going to get drunk and do something idiotic again, but it was more important than ever that she stick to her rules and ignore Arthur as much as she could while they were both in the house.</p>
<p>‘I’ve just remembered that you kissed the Minister for Magic,’ Ginny said, still sounding amused as she returned to the bedroom, surprising Hermione out of her reverie. ‘Can you remember what he was like? I’ve always thought Kingsley’s quite sexy. I wouldn’t mind giving him a kiss . . . but don’t tell Harry that.’</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head. She wasn’t surprised to hear that Kingsley had been on her hit list, but at the moment she couldn’t remember kissing him.</p>
<p>‘To be honest, Ginny, I don’t really remember very much about last night. Whatever George put in that punch seems to have completely removed my memory.’</p>
<p>Ginny studied her for a moment if as trying to assess whether Hermione was lying or not.</p>
<p>‘You haven’t forgotten about disappearing off with George, though, have you?’</p>
<p>Hermione shrugged and grimaced. ‘I sort of remember it, but you know—’</p>
<p>‘Well, I’d try to remember if I were you. I’ve got no idea what the two of you got up to—’ at this point Ginny smirked, her eyebrows rising as if she knew exactly what Hermione and her brother had been doing— ‘but you were pretty late coming to bed and he certainly seems very chipper this morning.’</p>
<p>Hermione felt her heart sink. She really was going to have to talk to George as soon as she could. But first she needed to get dressed. She forced herself to stand up, sighing loudly as the effort was so great because of the hangover.</p>
<p>‘I ought to go and have a shower too,’ she told Ginny. ‘I just hope it helps a bit.’</p>
<p>‘I wouldn’t hold your breath,’ Ginny warned unhappily. ‘I still feel really rotten.’</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arthur was exceedingly frustrated. He urgently needed to spend some time on his own in his shed, or better still with Hermione, but instead he was stuck in the lounge with the rest of the family, listening to that bloody Celestina Warbeck woman that Molly loved so much. Normally he didn’t mind listening to her but this year he really wasn’t in the mood, and he didn’t need his wife’s occasional reminders about how the various songs punctuated their life together, either. All he could think about was Hermione and how close she had come to giving away their secret at the party the night before. But then, as he remembered ruefully, that was his own stupid fault.</p>
<p>He had been aware of the mistletoe and had even subtly moved Hermione so they would get trapped underneath it, a vision of giving his beautiful lover a chaste yet sneakily public kiss exciting him for a moment. But he had completely misjudged how drunk Hermione was and before he knew what was happening she was kissing him every bit as passionately as during their first kiss in the shed.</p>
<p>Arthur’s first instinct was to kiss her back, his heart racing as his arousal flared sharply. However, luckily for them both he hadn’t been drinking George’s punch, unlike most of the party guests, and was therefore still relatively sober, so he had held himself back and ended the kiss as swiftly and with as little fuss as he could manage.</p>
<p>He knew Hermione wasn’t happy about his rejection but it was the only thing he could do and it had saved any difficult questions being asked. But then, just when he thought they had got away with it, Hermione had suffered a nasty attack of guilt at what she had done and had drawn Molly’s attention to it by apologising profusely.</p>
<p>Fortunately, his wife was in a good mood and having drunk some of George’s lethal punch herself she teased Hermione about it rather than taking umbrage. Arthur wasn’t sure what had gone through Hermione’s mind then, but she seemed to take it upon herself to kiss every man at the party, including the Minister for Magic, upsetting quite a few wives and girlfriends in the process, although from what Arthur could see he suspected she didn’t really care about that. It hadn’t bothered him too deeply, either, as it made their kiss seem less targeted, which was good for retaining their secret. But then Hermione ended up wrapped around George and everything changed.</p>
<p>His son had been plying Hermione with his infamous punch all evening in between the kisses she was bestowing on everyone and was in the perfect position to take full advantage when her arousal finally overtook her alcohol consumption. The newly-forged couple spent a considerable amount of time snogging at the party, which Arthur wasn’t very happy about although he obviously couldn’t say anything. But then the two of them disappeared and Arthur was certain his son was about to be the lucky recipient of far more than just a kiss from Hermione.</p>
<p>Jealousy flared like a volcano spewing its lava within him, surprising him with its heat and intensity, as Arthur suddenly realised that he didn’t want anyone touching Hermione but him. He was aware the desire was hypocritical considering he was a long-married man who had no intention of leaving his wife for the young woman he was getting so upset over, but he was unable to stop the feeling and spent the remainder of the evening vainly waiting for the couple to reappear, while his mood grew ever more fractious.</p>
<p>Arthur was on the verge of going to find them, determined to put a stop to whatever was happening between the couple, when Molly gently suggested it was time for the party to end, so instead he was pulled into saying farewells and ensuring the guests took all their belongings with them.</p>
<p>By the time they finished Molly was ushering him to bed and he had no choice but to leave George and Hermione to continue with whatever it was they were doing. He spent a long time lying awake in bed with a raging erection, his anger steadily increasing as he imagined in great detail the pleasure his son was getting when it should be he who was reaping the rewards of Hermione’s beautiful body.</p>
<p>Morning had brought a lot of bad hangovers and unwell silences as most of the family sat in the kitchen helping Molly prepare the vegetables and side dishes for the upcoming lunch. Arthur, whose mood wasn’t at all improved when George appeared with a massive grin on his face and a spring in his step that told his father everything he needed to know about what the lad had been doing with Hermione, was given the chance to spend some time in his shed, but for once he wasn’t really interested.</p>
<p>If Arthur could have got Hermione in there too it would have been a different story as he very much wanted to talk to her about her time spent with George and to remind her of what he could offer that was better than anything his son might have done with her. But she was with the others at the table, looking ill and quietly sipping her tea as she peeled the sprouts and steadfastly tried to ignore George every bit as much as she was ignoring him.</p>
<p>Arthur’s bad mood decreased slightly with Hermione’s behaviour although he had to hold himself back from snapping at George, who was doing his best to try to get her attention. But it swelled again when, once the preparation work was done, Hermione left the table with a small sigh and disappeared off into another room with George.</p>
<p>His first thought was to follow them in order to stop them from doing anything. But Arthur didn’t think Hermione was feeling well enough to do anything sexual and the look on her face as the couple departed didn’t indicate that she was particularly enamoured of her companion, so he suspected they weren’t likely to do much more than talk.</p>
<p>Knowing he had to calm down, Arthur finally took refuge in his shed, but instead of relaxing him it just annoyed him more as he thought of Hermione in the company of George rather than him. She belonged to him, not his son, and she should be out here being examined by him rather than whatever it was she was currently doing. He tried to take his mind off Hermione by working on a broken radio he had been slowly repairing over the previous couple of weeks, but today nothing seemed to give him satisfaction and he found it hard to concentrate.</p>
<p>By the time he made his way back into the house Arthur’s mood had dipped again, and it was a subdued group that sat around the Christmas table. Even the crackers didn’t seem to add their customary sparkle to proceedings, and it wasn’t long after the Christmas pudding had been cleared away before people started drifting off to their rooms for a lie-down and the chance to recover, both from the heavy lunch and the party the night before.</p>
<p>Arthur had been anticipating a return to the shed, hopefully with Hermione accompanying him this time, but she was one of the first to leave the table, disappearing up the stairs with Ginny before he even had a chance to look in her direction. Instead, he did the washing up, allowing Molly to have a sleep — the punch had obviously been a real killer for everyone — and by the time the family re-emerged it was early evening and Celestina’s regular Christmas concert was being broadcast on the radio, and Arthur knew he was trapped for the rest of the evening.</p>
<p>His only slight comfort was that George no longer seemed anywhere near as happy as he had earlier in the day, but then Hermione didn’t look very happy either. Arthur couldn’t decide whether it was something to do with what had happened between her and George earlier or whether she was still suffering from the after-effects of the punch.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Saturday 26 December 1998</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It seemed that with all the inactivity the day before, Mrs Weasley was more determined than usual that everyone should get out and about and get some fresh air. Over breakfast, she suggested a shopping trip to Diagon Alley, which Ginny eagerly accepted as the sales had started and she was keen to find a few bargains with her Christmas money.</p>
<p>Hermione declined the opportunity, citing the need to get some homework completed before she returned to school, which surprised no one. But she faithfully promised she would take a walk into the village of Ottery St Catchpole once she finished in order to get the prescribed fresh air.</p>
<p>Arthur also turned down the shopping trip but left the house shortly after breakfast to visit a work colleague who had been poorly over the holidays, taking with him a food parcel that Molly packed up for him. George left after breakfast too, needing to return to Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, and Harry and Ron went to assist him, not wanting to face the sales scrum as shoppers but still feeling the need to get out of the house. Percy and his girlfriend, Audrey, left shortly after the boys, setting off to spend the rest of Christmas and New Year’s Eve with Audrey’s parents. They too took a considerable quantity of food with them.</p>
<p>Hermione was pleased when she was finally left on her own in the Burrow, the first time she had been completely alone since the short time she had spent pretending she had a headache before she had gone to visit Arthur in the shed on Christmas Eve. She was fairly certain he would be returning to the house shortly as it had been far too long since they had last had the opportunity to play together and she knew Arthur wouldn’t miss the chance for an extended session with Molly out of the way for most of the day. Surely he must be every bit as horny as she was by now, wasn’t he?</p>
<p>She knew, too, that he was going to want to talk to her about George, and more specifically about her behaviour with him on Christmas Eve, as she was aware he hadn’t been particularly happy about her disappearing off with his son. Part of her was a little annoyed about it as it had happened outside the shed and was therefore outside the scope of their relationship. But Hermione knew she had only gone with George in the first place because she hadn’t been able to get intimate with Arthur, so it was disingenuous to pretend that the two things weren’t related.</p>
<p>Anyway, she wanted to reassure him that there was nothing going on between her and George — after a particularly difficult conversation between them on Christmas Day morning had shot down in flames any chance of them becoming a couple or of anything else ever happening between them — so she and Arthur would need to talk about it, even if only briefly. However sweet George was, and however good he had been in bed, Hermione’s heart and everything else about her belonged to his father, even if it was only when they were in his shed.</p>
<p>It didn’t take her long to complete the homework and soon she was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, impatiently awaiting Arthur’s return.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arthur smiled as he came through the kitchen door and saw Hermione waiting for him. While he was fairly certain that her interlude with George hadn’t been anything serious, it was good to see her there and appearing eager to be with him. Hermione offered him a cup of tea but he was keen to get to the shed. It had been far too long since he had played with Hermione and with Molly out of the house, potentially all day, it gave him plenty of time to give her the thorough examination he had promised as well as indulge in all the other sexual activities they both enjoyed so much.</p>
<p>For a moment he considered a fantasy he’d had several times during the months Hermione was away at school, wondering whether today was the day he could make it a reality. But Arthur knew that as with the cessation of the kissing, this was something else that couldn’t happen. His fantasies might take place elsewhere but their relationship had to stay exclusively in the shed. Hermione was a Muggle artefact and nothing more and he had to remember that.</p>
<p>It was a shame, though. The idea of seeing Hermione tied to his bed, naked and helpless, had given him many erections during the one hundred and thirteen days they had been apart. He longed to tease her into a frenzy while she could do nothing to stop him; to bring her to the edge of climax time and again until eventually she cried out, begging him to give her the release she so needed, with a promise that he could do anything he wanted with her.</p>
<p>Once again Arthur allowed the thought to permeate his brain, but after a moment he tried to push it away. As much as he would love to do that it wasn’t fair on Molly — although he knew deep down that none of this was fair on his wife. Using their bed, though, that was far too personal, and as much as he would love to take Hermione to bed it would never happen at the Burrow.</p>
<p>‘So, did you want a cup of tea?’ Hermione asked again, breaking through his thoughts and dispersing the fantasy.</p>
<p>Arthur shook his head, staring at her. ‘No. I want to go to the shed.’</p>
<p>Hermione smiled. ‘I hope you’ve got some sort of heating out there. It’s bloody freezing outside today and we’re going to be cold if we’re finally going to get naked. I assume you are giving me a full examination today?’</p>
<p>‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you don’t get cold,’ Arthur promised. He opened the kitchen door. ‘Are you ready?’</p>
<p>‘Of course.’ Hermione took her mug to the sink and rinsed it before placing it on the draining board. ‘Let me just get my jacket and stuff. I’ll need to look like I went for a walk.’</p>
<p>‘I’ll see you in there,’ Arthur said. He went out of the door and across the yard to the shed.</p>
<p>By the time Hermione joined him the shed was full of glass jam jars containing blue flames that provided pockets of warmth and flickering light. There were a considerable number around Arthur’s workbench making it feel toasty and warm.</p>
<p>‘Are you feeling better today?’ Arthur asked as he pulled Hermione into his arms, hugging her tightly after she dumped her jacket and scarf on a spare chair. ‘You had a terrible hangover yesterday, didn’t you?’</p>
<p>‘Me and three-quarters of the people at the party, I should imagine,’ Hermione said ruefully. ‘That punch of George’s was lethal. It’s certainly put me off alcohol for a while.’</p>
<p>‘You were rather drunk,’ Arthur said. He was grinning.</p>
<p>Hermione winced. ‘Mr Weasley, I am so sorry about kissing you like that. I was drunk and I lost control. I just find you so—’</p>
<p>Arthur kissed her, knowing it was wrong and that he shouldn’t be doing it, but he wanted it more than anything else in the world at that moment. He owed Hermione a proper kiss anyway, so now was the perfect time.</p>
<p>‘I wanted that so much,’ Hermione told him quietly once the kiss was over.</p>
<p>Arthur stroked her cheek. ‘Me too,’ he admitted. ‘It was lucky I wasn’t drinking that bloody punch too or Merlin only knows what would have happened.’</p>
<p>Hermione smiled for a moment as a vision of her and Arthur snogging in the middle of the Burrow lounge filled her mind, but the smile fell as she remembered that it couldn’t happen. She and Arthur were only in this shed, not in the house, and if they had kissed in the way she wanted it would have caused all sorts of upset.</p>
<p>‘I’m sorry,’ she said again, her head down now.</p>
<p>Arthur tipped her chin up to look at him. ‘No harm done, fortunately. But what did you and George get up to?’</p>
<p>Hermione stared at him for a moment before she admitted, ‘I was feeling really horny — because of you — and you weren’t available. George was.’</p>
<p>‘Did you fuck him?’ Arthur asked.</p>
<p>Hermione nodded. ‘Yes. I needed it. I’m sorry if you don’t like it, but we weren’t out here, we were in the house, so I had no choice.’</p>
<p>‘That’s not true,’ Arthur retorted. ‘You could have done nothing.’ He wanted to add ‘like me’ but knew it sounded childish and petulant.</p>
<p>Hermione sighed. Defensively, she said, ‘I was drunk and horny. If I had been more sober it would never have happened. Unfortunately, the person I wanted to fuck was with his wife so I went off with someone who reminded me of him instead. It was never going to be more than a one-night-stand although sadly it turned out that George fancies me, so I had to let him down rather hard. But he knows nothing more will happen between us.’</p>
<p>‘Well, I hope you’re right. I didn’t like seeing you with him,’ Arthur admitted.</p>
<p>‘I’m not yours in the house,’ Hermione reminded him a little tartly. ‘Only out here. And then I’m just a Muggle artefact. I’m not your girlfriend.’</p>
<p>‘And if you were?’ Arthur couldn’t help but ask.</p>
<p>‘As drunk as I was at the party, I’d probably have ended up giving you a blow job in the middle of the lounge. I really was feeling extremely horny,’ Hermione admitted.</p>
<p>Arthur was about to ask her if she’d given George a blow job as he remembered the exquisite sensation of her mouth on his cock and everything else that went with it, but then realised he didn’t want to know. It was bad enough that they’d had sex.</p>
<p>‘What’s the matter?’ Hermione asked. She hugged him, worried at his unhappy expression.</p>
<p>Arthur sighed, knowing he was being ridiculous, but he still told her the truth. ‘Sorry, I’m just jealous about you fucking George. I know that’s pretty pathetic under the circumstances.’</p>
<p>‘He’s not as good as you are,’ Hermione replied, soothingly. ‘And you’re the only one I want.’</p>
<p>‘Is it warm enough in here?’ Arthur asked, abruptly changing the subject. He wanted to undress Hermione and make new memories that would help him to forget about her and George.</p>
<p>Hermione nodded. ‘Yes. It’s quite pleasant, actually. Do you want me to undress for you?’</p>
<p>‘That would be good,’ Arthur said. ‘ You know I like seeing you naked.’</p>
<p>‘Are you going to take your clothes off?’ Hermione asked as she pulled the jumper she was wearing over her head.</p>
<p>‘Later. I need to examine you first,’ Arthur said.</p>
<p>He watched as Hermione’s t-shirt joined the jumper on the chair with her coat. He could see her nipples poking through the moulded cotton of her bra, her breasts jiggling slightly as she bent down and removed her boots and socks before pulling down her jeans.</p>
<p>‘Are you cold?’ he asked anxiously.</p>
<p>Hermione looked down at her breasts, following his gaze, then she returned to look at his face with a smile, shaking her head.</p>
<p>‘Nope. I’m just aroused at the thought of you finally touching me again. It seems like forever, even though it’s only been a couple of days.’</p>
<p>She unhooked her bra, pulling it off and flinging it on top of the pile of clothes, then took off her knickers. Once they, too, had joined the pile Hermione stared at Arthur, her tongue licking slowly around her lips to wet them before biting nervously at her bottom lip.</p>
<p>‘You really are perfect,’ Arthur told her as took her hand and led her to the workbench. ‘Now it’s time for that examination I promised you.’</p>
<p>He lifted her onto it, placing her so her feet were on the bench, her knees apart and displaying her glistening sex to him.</p>
<p>‘I never get tired of looking at you. I could do it forever,’ Arthur admitted.</p>
<p>He slowly began to stroke her soft skin, starting with her right hand which was resting on the workbench. Little by little Arthur covered her whole body, enjoying the way her stiff nipples grew further and goosebumps broke out on her skin as his fingers gently teased. Hermione’s breathing had shallowed slightly and already she was going that beautiful shade of pink that signified her heightened arousal. His mouth followed his fingers, his tongue teasing and caressing the sensitive skin between whisper-soft kisses that tickled and tormented.</p>
<p>Hermione had her eyes closed and was biting her lip again as she tried not to cry out. Then Arthur’s mouth was on her nipple, sucking hard as his hand grasped the other breast, squeezing firmly. She arched her back, pushing her breasts forward for his attention, unable to stifle her moan of desire.</p>
<p>Arthur spent quite some time on her breasts, reacquainting himself with them and enjoying playing with them as much as he always had previously, but Hermione’s obvious arousal had made him rock hard and his underpants were uncomfortable. He needed to move on, to finally bury his face in Hermione’s luscious folds, to remind her of what his tongue could achieve when she let go and gave herself to him fully.</p>
<p>He kissed down her ribcage, down to her stomach, not stopping as he moved over her bare mound and down further. Hermione gasped as his warm, wet tongue connected with her clit, swirling around the small bud before sucking gently on it. She cried out, her hands gripping the edge of the workbench as Arthur moved lower, his tongue lapping at her labia before sliding between the soft folds, his fingers gently pulling the lips apart as he gazed at the perfect sight before him.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before Hermione was crying out, her legs now over Arthur’s shoulders as he pulled her from the workbench, his hands gripping her bottom, his face buried as his tongue brought her to a shuddering climax. Once he was certain she was finished Arthur released her, smiling as Hermione lay back on the workbench, exhausted from the orgasm.</p>
<p>‘That was wonderful.’</p>
<p>‘Yes, it was,’ Arthur agreed.</p>
<p>He was still stroking her slit, not wanting to stop touching her, his fingers travelling down to find her anus. Hermione gasped as he slid a finger inside her, pumping gently as he watched her reaction.</p>
<p>‘What do you think?’ he asked after a couple of minutes.</p>
<p>‘It feels good,’ Hermione admitted. ‘I like it.’</p>
<p>‘Good.’ Arthur went to kiss her but remembering just in time he planted a small peck of a kiss on her throat instead. ‘How about this?’</p>
<p>Hermione gave a small moan as he slipped a second finger inside her, using the moisture from her orgasm to give him lubrication.</p>
<p>‘Am I hurting you?’</p>
<p>‘No. It’s good. It feels different,’ Hermione told him.</p>
<p>The thumb of his other hand brushed her clit as his fingers continued stroking her sex. Hermione moaned again, louder this time.</p>
<p>‘Cum for me,’ Arthur whispered as his fingers prodded and poked, pressed and stroked, rubbing and teasing as Hermione writhed on the workbench.</p>
<p>‘Gods, you’re amazing,’ he announced as Hermione wailed, her body shaking as she exploded.</p>
<p>‘You’re pretty fantastic yourself,’ Hermione allowed with a smile, as she came down for the second time.</p>
<p>‘Are you going to get undressed now?’ she added hopefully once she had recovered and was sitting up again. She had enjoyed the touching but needed more. She wanted Arthur’s cock inside her.</p>
<p>‘Not yet,’ Arthur said, making her frown. ‘I think I need to punish you first.’</p>
<p>‘Punish me? What do you need to punish me for?’ Hermione asked, suddenly worried.</p>
<p>She couldn’t help but remember the caning Arthur had given her back in the summer that had left her feeling so uncomfortable that she couldn’t sit down properly. Admittedly, she had found it highly arousing at the time, but it had also been so painful that she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through it again. That made her wonder what had happened to the cane. She hadn’t seen it anywhere around, but then again she hadn’t really looked properly; she had been too eager to get naked and play with Arthur.</p>
<p>‘I think I should punish you for making me jealous,’ Arthur said. ‘You fucked my son.’</p>
<p>‘He’s not the first one I’ve fucked,’ Hermione pointed out.</p>
<p>‘No, but you weren’t mine when you fucked Ron.’</p>
<p>Hermione was about to remind him again about her not being his in the house, but she held her tongue. A small fizzing feeling swept around her stomach and up through her chest. Arthur thought of her as his and that was what she wanted. What did it matter where he was talking about?</p>
<p>‘Are you going to cane me again?’ she asked, a hollow feeling now taking the place of the fizzing in her stomach.</p>
<p>Arthur grabbed her breasts. He squeezed them as he appeared to consider her question.</p>
<p>‘Do you want me to?’ he asked.</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head. ‘Not really.’</p>
<p>‘I was thinking of putting you across my lap and giving you a good spanking,’ Arthur said. ‘I’ve thought about it quite a lot while you were away. You’ve got such a gorgeous bottom. It’s just crying out to be smacked.’</p>
<p>Hermione knew it was going to hurt, possibly as much as the caning had, but she wasn’t going to have any choice. There were rules to her being one of Arthur’s artefacts and one of them was that he could do whatever he wanted with her, regardless of her desires.</p>
<p>‘Do you not want me to do it?’ Arthur asked when Hermione didn’t say anything.</p>
<p>Hermione shrugged. ‘I don’t have any choice, do I? I’m just an artefact, remember?’</p>
<p>Arthur’s heart beat faster as he remembered the rules that governed his ownership of Hermione as an artefact, allowing him to basically do whatever he wanted with her. But he knew that things had changed between them, whether they had meant them to or not, and while the idea of spanking Hermione even if she didn’t want it appealed, he knew he wouldn’t do it. She needed to be a willing participant for him to enjoy it properly.</p>
<p>‘The choice is yours,’ Arthur said. ‘I want to spank you but if you don’t want me to do it then it’s not going to happen. There’s no point in me doing something if you’re not going to enjoy it.’</p>
<p>Hermione stared at him in surprise. ‘I didn’t get a choice about the caning.’</p>
<p>‘No, but that was before. I think you’ll agree things have moved on a bit now. Anyway, as I recall you enjoyed the caning.’</p>
<p>Hermione blushed as she remembered again the arousal she had felt during both punishment sessions.</p>
<p>‘Will you stop if I don’t like it?’ she asked.</p>
<p>‘That’s why you’ve got a safe word,’ Arthur reminded her. ‘You only need to say it and everything stops immediately.’</p>
<p>‘Okay. Let’s do it then. Because I really want to get you naked and you’re obviously not taking your clothes off until you’ve spanked me,’ Hermione said with a grin. ‘What do I need to do?’</p>
<p>Arthur retrieved another chair, placing it within the heated area. He helped Hermione down from the workbench before sitting on the chair. Hermione stood in front of him, shaking slightly. Arthur stroked her body soothingly.</p>
<p>‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ he asked. ‘You honestly don’t have to if you don’t want to.’</p>
<p>‘I want to,’ Hermione said quietly. ‘I’m just a bit nervous, that’s all.’</p>
<p>Arthur smiled happily. ‘There’s nothing for you to be nervous about. Now, come and lie down over my lap.’</p>
<p>Hermione did as she was told although she was still feeling slightly anxious about it. She could feel Arthur’s erection, a hard bulge captured within his underpants pressing into her stomach as she tried to settle herself.</p>
<p>‘Are you comfortable?’ Arthur asked after almost a minute of Hermione wriggling made his cock feel even more uncomfortable and also made him suspect she was stalling.</p>
<p>‘Yes.’ Hermione’s voice was small.</p>
<p>‘We don’t have to do this, Hermione,’ Arthur said.</p>
<p>‘I want to, and I’m ready,’ Hermione’s voice had gained a little strength. She turned her head to look up at Arthur and smiled. ‘Just don’t take too long to get started.’</p>
<p>‘I was waiting for you to get properly settled,’ Arthur pointed out. He sounded amused. ‘Now, if you’re ready?’</p>
<p>His hand gently stroked Hermione’s bottom and she shivered with anticipation.</p>
<p>‘Try to relax,’ Arthur said.</p>
<p>Hermione was about to tell him that she was perfectly relaxed when his hand connected with her right buttock in a stinging slap that made her squeal. Automatically, her hand moved to grasp the sore area, squeezing it as she tried to stop the smarting. It didn’t hurt anywhere near as much as the bite of the cane, but she had forgotten about the immediate heat and the sting.</p>
<p>Arthur pulled her hand away from her bottom. ‘Do I need to tie your hands?’ he asked with amusement.</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head. ‘Sorry, Mr Weasley, it was just a bit of a surprise. I wasn’t expecting you to do it while you were still talking to me.’</p>
<p>‘You told me to get on with it, remember?’</p>
<p>‘I’m ready now,’ Hermione said, but Arthur had just returned to stroking her bottom, showing no sign of continuing. She knew he was doing it on purpose but she was determined not to get impatient with him otherwise they would probably be there all afternoon and there were other things she wanted to do with him.</p>
<p>Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a couple of minutes, Arthur slapped her again. It was harder this time, across both buttocks and it made Hermione hiss, but she held her hands together under the chair and silently counted to ten. The soothing caress started again, but before it had even taken effect Arthur slapped her again, twice in quick succession, once on each buttock. Hermione yelped, but although it stung it was still nowhere near as painful as the cane. With that, she knew she would already be thinking about using her safe word by now, but Hermione realised that instead she was eagerly awaiting the next slap, a tingly feeling of excitement in her stomach as Arthur’s hand caressed her skin.</p>
<p>‘More,’ she whispered, wanting him to know she was enjoying it and that he could increase the frequency of slaps if he wished to.</p>
<p>Grinning happily, his heart soaring as Hermione confirmed her enjoyment of what was happening, Arthur slapped her again and again, the intensity growing harder as her bottom turned bright red, his handprints showing across her soft skin. She looked beautiful, and better still, unlike the caning she was really getting into it. He was now well into double figures and she was only just beginning to show serious signs of discomfort. Deciding to quit while he was ahead, Arthur slapped her one final time, then bent to kiss her bottom before caressing the tender skin once more.</p>
<p>‘Are we stopping?’ Hermione asked, sounding almost disappointed, once she realised Arthur was doing nothing but stroking. ‘I didn’t say the safe word.’</p>
<p>‘No, I know you didn’t, but I also know it was getting uncomfortable for you so it was a good place to stop before it moved somewhere too painful. You’ve been punished enough and I’ve enjoyed doing it. Better still, you’re not going to be in too much discomfort to sit down later, so hopefully you might be more willing to consider letting me do it again.’</p>
<p>‘That was much better than the cane so you can do it again any time you want,’ Hermione said. She moved off his lap. ‘Are you going to get undressed now? I really think it’s time to move on to the fucking.’</p>
<p>Arthur chuckled at her brazenness. ‘I think you’re right, Hermione. Anyway, you deserve a reward after that.’</p>
<p>She was already pulling him up from the chair, eager to remove his robe. Arthur felt a warm glow inside him and realised how much he was enjoying Hermione’s desire for him. It was flattering and it made him want her even more in return. Even when they were younger and still in the first flush of love Molly had never shown the level of desire for him that Hermione effortlessly exuded during every encounter. The sudden thought of his wife brought an uncomfortable feeling to his stomach but Arthur pushed the thought away, determined not to let anything ruin what was about to happen.</p>
<p>Hermione was pushing him back down onto the chair again, and Arthur realised that in the few seconds he had been distracted she had removed his robe and pulled down his underpants. She straddled him, settling herself easily on his lap as she impaled herself on his rigid cock, a gasp of pleasure torn from both their lips as their bodies connected.</p>
<p>‘Oh yes, I need this so much,’ she said, already moving, her pelvis swivelling as she bounced up and down.</p>
<p>Arthur took the opportunity to play with her breasts again, happy to let Hermione take the lead. His fingers pinched her swollen nipples, causing her to hiss. But she didn’t stop riding him, the pressure of her tight muscles gripping and squeezing, working their usual magic to bring him close to climax.</p>
<p>‘This feels so good,’ Hermione told him between gasps. ‘I wish we could stay like this forever.’ She panted as her muscles contracted sharply. ‘Or maybe doing it doggy style. That’s good too—’</p>
<p>‘Mmmmm,’ Arthur replied, trying to signal his agreement at the sentiment but having trouble talking just then.</p>
<p>His hands moved to grip Hermione’s bottom, helping her to ride as she sped towards orgasm, a low cry signifying how close she was. For a moment she stopped completely, silence descending as her body went completely rigid, her breath fast and shallow, then with a roar she began to bounce again, harder and faster than before, every ounce of energy poured into this one act.</p>
<p>Arthur caught his breath as an unbearable tightness spread throughout his groin, then Hermione’s muscles contracted and squeezed and he cried out, thrusting up into her as his climax erupted, carrying Hermione along with him. Before he knew what was happening, Hermione was kissing him, and although he knew he should stop it, Arthur kissed her back.</p>
<p>By the time they finally finished kissing and having sex another hour had passed, and it was time for Hermione to get dressed and leave the shed and pretend that she had been out walking.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Sunday 27th December 1998</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione hurried down the road; her need to get as far as away as she could from the Burrow was immense. She couldn’t bear another minute cooped up in the bloody place, especially with her so-called best friends, who were both going to suffer protracted and painful deaths if she wasn’t given a chance to get away from them and calm down.</p>
<p>Ever since their return from Diagon Alley the previous evening Ron and Harry had done nothing but mercilessly take the piss out of Hermione about her antics at the party and the drunkenness that had caused them, not to mention her treatment of George both at the time and in the unhappy aftermath. It was okay to begin with, and Hermione had expected it, even when they began to list all the men she had kissed, most of whom she had completely forgotten about in her mortification over Arthur and some of whom she wouldn’t have gone within twenty feet of if she had been even a little bit sober.</p>
<p>But after several hours of ribbing and more than a few sly digs from Ron about breaking George’s heart, Hermione was close to breaking point and headed off to bed in a thoroughly bad mood. Unfortunately, being the pair of idiots she had always known they were, Harry and Ron hadn’t taken the hint that she’d had enough and the jesting and snarking had started again this morning almost as soon as she entered the kitchen looking for breakfast and a quiet cup of tea.</p>
<p>With Molly and Arthur both away from home, as they had gone to visit Molly’s great-aunt Muriel, there was no one around to spot Hermione’s growing anger and rein the boys in from their incessant taunting, which had followed her wherever in the house she had gone to try get away from it. After an hour she was close to completely losing it with both of them and was heartily wishing she had thought to bring her wand downstairs. By the time lunchtime came around she was considering using her bare hands to rip them limb from limb if it would only shut them up.</p>
<p>It didn’t help that Ginny wasn’t talking to her today either; another sibling annoyed about Hermione’s casual toying with George’s affections. It had already caused an argument between them when they had first woken up because Hermione was apparently unable to adequately explain why she didn’t want George as a boyfriend. She had tried to point out that she had only got together with him in the first place because she was so drunk she could hardly stand up and that he was the one who had got her in that state, but this hadn’t gone down at all well and now Ginny seemed to think that Hermione deserved everything she was getting from Ron and Harry.</p>
<p>Desperately needing to be alone and away from all the hurtful comments, whether intentional or not, and unable to go back to the bedroom as Ginny was in there, still sulking and angry after their earlier argument, Hermione grabbed her coat and accessories, pulled on her boots and left the house, hitting the open road and heading towards Ottery St Catchpole where hopefully the café would still be open and she could get warm for a bit while keeping out of everyone’s way.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, by the time she finally made it to the village square the café was closed, but after wandering aimlessly for a short while and considering whether to visit the church, if only to get out of the biting cold, Hermione realised the pub was open. She didn’t want alcohol as her body still wasn’t sufficiently recovered from the punch to inflict more on it, but she could get a soft drink and keep out of the way, hopefully in blissful solitude for a couple of hours until Molly and Arthur got back and could rein everyone in. </p>
<p>As she walked towards the old building, admiring the ancient architecture with its wooden beams and thatched roof, Hermione studied the painting on the sign that was on a pole inside the small front garden. The pub was called the White Hind, not an unusual name for a village pub by any means, but the sign certainly was. The painting was beautifully rendered and was obviously quite old, and the deer that was depicted in it looked exactly like Harry’s Patronus when it was at its strongest. In fact, if Hermione hadn’t known that the pub was Muggle, as was the whole village, she would have suspected the sign had been painted by a wizard drawing on his knowledge of the spectral spell creatures.</p>
<p>She pushed open the heavy front door and stepped down into a dark room full of yet more thick wooden beams and a whole host of gleaming horse brasses and copper jugs that filled the room, making it seem small and snug. To her left there was another room housing a big open fireplace that made the whole area feel uncomfortably warm after the cold outside, but there weren’t many people in the pub so there were plenty of free tables away from the fire.</p>
<p>Hermione walked to the bar, knowing that everyone in the place was watching her intently.</p>
<p>‘Good afternoon. Can I have an orange juice and lemonade, please?’ she asked the barmaid politely, making sure she was smiling.</p>
<p>The barmaid smiled back. ‘Course you can, m’ lovely. You wan’ anything else?’ she looked around as if expecting someone else to appear.</p>
<p>‘No, that’ll be all, thanks.’ Hermione smiled again to forestall any further comment.</p>
<p>The barmaid disappeared down the other end of the bar, returning a couple of minutes later with a tall glass full of the requested drink.</p>
<p>Hermione paid for it, thanking the barmaid, then walked over to sit at a table by the window and as far away from the fire as she could get. She pulled off her gloves and put them on the table, watching out the window as the cold wind blew around the last of the dead leaves and some discarded rubbish, as she removed her hat and scarf and took off her coat.</p>
<p>Now she was a bit less overdressed the room was quite pleasant, the smoky wood smell and the warmth of the fire soothing her. She took a sip of her drink, enjoying the slight tartness of the orange before a bubble of fizzy sweetness exploded on her tongue from the lemonade as she relaxed onto the padded bench seat she had chosen.</p>
<p>Hermione looked around the pub, thinking how much she liked the relatively small, dark space with its mishmash of decorations, old photographs and paintings covering the areas of wall not taken up by brass. It had a somewhat quaint and homely feel, the mixture of tapestry-type fabrics on the chairs mixing with faded red velvet and old brass studs. It was quiet too, not a jukebox or fruit machine in sight, for which she was grateful.</p>
<p>There were a couple of old men playing dominoes and another pair over by the fire appeared to be playing backgammon. Elsewhere, other patrons read newspapers or talked quietly over dark pints of the locally brewed ale. And at least one was asleep, snoring gently in a corner while everyone ignored them and carried on with their own business.</p>
<p>She looked out of the window again, watching the sign swing precariously in the stiff wind that forced a dead leaf to dance pirouettes across one of the deserted wooden tables in the garden.</p>
<p>‘I’s a bit blowy ou’ there.’</p>
<p>Hermione looked round to see who had spoken. An old man with short grey hair and a big grey handlebar moustache wearing baggy black trousers and a thick blue handknitted woollen pullover was wiping down tables and collecting empty glasses. He already held a couple in his hand.</p>
<p>‘Yes, it’s cold,’ Hermione said. ‘I was just watching your sign blowing around.’</p>
<p>‘Don’ ya worry abou’ ’er. She ain’ goin’ nowhere,’ the man said with a wink.</p>
<p>‘It’s a beautiful picture,’ Hermione told him.</p>
<p>‘Ah, ya like our dream hind, do ya? She’s a real beauty, ain’ she?’</p>
<p>Hermione nodded. ‘Yes. It’s very unusual.’</p>
<p>‘Painted a lon’ time ago, she were,’ the old man confided happily. ‘Weird man the painter were. Dressed oddly. Wore this long ol’ robe thing and a big floppy ’at.’ He chuckled richly. ‘He looked like a wizard, you know . . . well, what ye’d imagine a wizard t’ look like, anyway.’</p>
<p>‘Really?’ Hermione said politely, already knowing the man was right. The painter probably had been a wizard who wasn’t very good at disguising himself amongst Muggles.</p>
<p>‘Oh, arr. Course, I were on’y a nipper when he came by so I was gonna think he were a wizard, weren’ I? But still, e’en now when I think on it, there were sommat strange about ’im. But then painters are odd people, ain’ they?’</p>
<p>‘Some of them certainly can be,’ Hermione said politely.</p>
<p>‘You ‘ere on yer own, then?’ the man asked. He frowned as if seeming concerned.</p>
<p>Hermione nodded. ‘I’m staying with some friends in the area for Christmas, but after a few days together we all needed a bit of a break so I thought I’d come for a walk and see the village on my own. It’s very picturesque, nothing like where I live in London. But it’s so cold out there, especially with that bitter wind. I thought I’d stop and have a couple of drinks and warm up a bit before I walk back. I was thinking about going into the church, actually.</p>
<p>‘Ah, very ol’ that church. Like everything round ’ere . . . e’en me.’ The old man grinned at his weak joke. ‘Built in the fourt’nth century and got some intrestin’ stuff in there if yer into tha’ sorta thing — misericor’s an’ all tha’. Nice roo’ screen, an’ all.’</p>
<p>‘I’ll definitely go and have a look in there before I go back home,’ Hermione said. ‘Although I might leave it until another day when it’s a bit sunnier.’ </p>
<p>The old man nodded solemnly. ‘In tha’ case you wanna look at the graveyard too. Some interestin’ ol’ graves in there.’</p>
<p>‘Thank you for telling me about it,’ Hermione smiled at him.</p>
<p>‘So you’m down from Lon’on, then?’ The man said once he had wiped Hermione’s table.</p>
<p>Hermione nodded. ‘Yes, out in the suburbs. It’s all big housing estates where I live. Not much greenery except for the odd park and a few London planes lining the pavements. It’s nice down here — quiet and peaceful. I like it very much.’</p>
<p>The man looked pleased. ‘Arr, Ottery St Catchpole is a beautiful village. Wouldn’ wanna live anywhere else. Been ’ere for eighty-three years, me.’</p>
<p>‘You’re very lucky,’ Hermione said. She was wondering how to get rid of the man without being rude. He was quite interesting but she had been looking forward to a bit of peace — some time for quiet contemplation.</p>
<p>‘I better get on, afore they tells me off for disturbin’ the customers,’ the old man said. ‘“No one wants to hear your gabber, ol’ Tom,” they say,’</p>
<p>‘You’re fine.’ Hermione replied as she crossed her fingers beneath the table. ‘I’ve enjoyed talking to you. You’ve given me some useful information.’</p>
<p>‘I’ll catch you nex’ time I come back roun’ if yer still ’ere.’ Tom wore a satisfied smile, clearly happy with Hermione’s compliment.</p>
<p>‘I’ll see you later,’ Hermione agreed, hoping the pub was a bit bigger than just the two small rooms she could see otherwise he would be back before she even had time to get another drink.</p>
<p>With a wave, Tom wandered over to the next table along from Hermione, wiping it down before walking over to the bar to drop the two empty glasses he had picked up earlier. Hermione watched him for a moment, then looked back out of the window at the sign of the hind that probably was a Patronus. She wondered if it had belonged to someone in Harry’s family; they were all big on deer of one description or another. It really was a beautiful painting, though.</p>
<p>Hermione looked at her almost empty glass then checked her watch. She had no idea what time Molly and Arthur would be coming home, but knowing the Weasley matriarch she would make sure she was back in plenty of time to prepare dinner. The woman didn’t seem to be happy unless she had fed them all so much that they couldn’t walk, a bit like the house-elves at Hogwarts if you gave them the opportunity. As long as she didn’t return home until after they had got back she would be safe, but that meant having at least one more drink. At least it didn’t look like Tom was coming back.</p>
<p>She delved into her pocket looking for some Muggle money, then made her way over to the bar to buy another drink.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arthur was a bit worried about Hermione’s mood when she joined him in the shed after dinner and wondered if he should send her away. But the truth was that she was probably better off out here, away from Ron, Ginny and Harry, than back in the house where she would have to put up with their sarcasm and taunts.</p>
<p>He just hoped she had a good excuse for where she had disappeared off to. He didn’t need them to come looking for her and find her in the shed, even if they weren’t doing anything when they were discovered. No one was supposed to come out here apart from him. That was how they had managed to keep their secret for so long.</p>
<p>Arthur had already had to weigh in a couple of times to get her friends to cease in their teasing although he tried not to be too overbearing about it in case it sparked suspicion. But then Molly joined in and told them all in no uncertain terms what she would do if anyone mentioned George’s infernal punch or its effects around her again, and there was finally peace — in the kitchen, at least.</p>
<p>Hermione had stayed in the kitchen with Molly, helping her to cook dinner and talking about Hogwarts, catching her up on the gossip while Molly told her about their trip to Muriel’s, although Arthur couldn’t even begin to understand why Hermione would be interested in that.</p>
<p>He disappeared to the shed, eager to be away from the unpleasant atmosphere that permeated his home like a bad smell. He felt sorry for Hermione but there was nothing he could do to help her, not without giving away their infidelity or at the very least raising suspicion as to why he cared so much, so he was better off keeping out of the way. Molly would deal with the situation in her own special way and then he would deal with the fall-out later.</p>
<p>Arthur wasn’t certain whether Hermione would come to see him, unsure whether she would leave Molly’s side when she was protecting her against her friends, and for a short while he found himself wondering whether this would finally cause Hermione to feel guilt at what they were doing behind his wife’s back. But it seemed that even this hadn’t been enough to stop Hermione in her desire for him.</p>
<p>Once dinner was over Arthur returned to his shed as everyone else moved into the lounge. Hermione went with them but didn’t feel particularly comfortable, not wanting to play Exploding Snap with the friends who were still being prickly about George and not wanting to sit around doing nothing when Arthur was alone in the shed and able to provide the stress relief she so badly needed.</p>
<p>She talked to Molly for a while, finishing up their conversation that had started in the kitchen, and then she expressed the desire to go for a walk, to blow away the cobwebs and lift her mood a bit.</p>
<p>Molly, understanding how the teasing was affecting Hermione, was happy to let her go, knowing that being out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but fields for miles, she wasn’t likely to get into much trouble wandering off on her own, even after dark.</p>
<p>Hermione, grateful to be released, hurried to get her things and slipped out of the house, making sure no one was watching or following before heading to the shed.</p>
<p>‘Are you okay?’ Arthur asked.</p>
<p>He had wrapped his arms around Hermione, holding her quietly for several minutes, but her silence was making him concerned.</p>
<p>‘I am now,’ she said as he released her, and she moved back a step so she could look at him. ‘I’m sorry, Mr Weasley, I’m just really feeling stressed tonight. I understand they’re unhappy on George’s behalf, but I’ve had it up to here.’ She indicated over her head with her hand. ‘Even George wasn’t this bad, and if he put them up to it I’m going to kill him because I thought we’d sorted things out. He wasn’t happy but he understood that getting me completely slaughtered wasn’t the best basis for inducing a lasting relationship.’</p>
<p>‘I suspect they’ve come up with this on their own,’ Arthur said. ‘Ron’s perfectly capable of holding a grudge, even when he’s not been wronged, and Ginny has been a bit over-protective of George ever since Fred died. Harry was just teasing you, wasn’t he? He didn’t say anything about George.’</p>
<p>‘He didn’t have to, Ron said enough. I just don’t understand why they think I should have to go out with him just because we spent one drunken night together. I adore George, I honestly do, but he’s so different to me personality-wise, and I can’t be doing with all his jokes and stuff. If I went out with him we’d last about two minutes so there’s no point in even attempting it, not even to shut that lot up.’</p>
<p>Hermione knew she was ignoring the most important and obvious reason that she wasn’t interested in George but she didn’t want to talk about that at the moment. It was a subject she had to keep completely locked away from Arthur because if she ever started talking about it she might never stop, and then Merlin only knew what would happen.</p>
<p><em>Nothing would happen</em>, a little voice inside her chided. <em>It would make no difference. Arthur would still be married to Molly and you would still just be one of his Muggle artefacts . . . and that’s how it is . . . and that’s how it should be.</em></p>
<p>‘You really are stressed,’ Arthur said. He was massaging Hermione’s neck and shoulders in an attempt to release some of the tension. ‘What can I do to help you out? Tell me what you need.’</p>
<p>His hands moved lower, drawing her jumper up. Hermione raised her arms so he could remove it and drop it onto his workbench. He found her breasts encased in black lace and squeezed them as he kissed the side of her neck. Hermione closed her eyes and sighed gently, allowing the tension to drain away as she focussed on the sensation Arthur was causing within her. There was so much she wanted to do but she was aware that once again their time together was limited, and unless they did something soon she would have to return to the house without either of them being satisfied.</p>
<p>‘What do <em>you </em>want to do? I’m just an artefact, remember?’ Her voice was soft and dreamy. Arthur’s soothing caress was making her feel dizzy and the flickering flames in the warm shed created shadows that danced around her, making the whole thing seem almost surreal.</p>
<p>Arthur chuckled in her ear as he pressed against her. She could feel his erection, hard against her bottom, his fingers pinching her nipples, tugging on them to increase their size. She gasped.</p>
<p>‘There are all sorts of things I’d like to do, but if I’m being honest I’d really like to fuck you,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think you’re anywhere near ready for that and I’m not sure we have time to remedy the situation and do the deed as well.’</p>
<p>‘I don’t care about being ready. I want to fuck you too,’ Hermione said.</p>
<p>‘I’m not hurting you, Hermione. I don’t want to, and there’s no need for it,’ Arthur told her.</p>
<p>‘You’re not going to hurt me. I promise.’ Hermione turned her head to look at him, her lips pecking his even though she knew she shouldn’t. ‘I want you to fuck me, Mr Weasley, and I can assure you I’m more than ready.’</p>
<p>Arthur’s hands left her breasts and moved to caress her bottom as he considered her words. This had happened before, the first night she had returned to him, and the sex had been incredible. But what if this time she really wasn’t ready? He gasped as Hermione’s hand reached behind her to grab his cock through his robe, even as he continued to squeeze her bottom.</p>
<p>‘Please, just fuck me. It’ll get rid of the stress, we’ll both love it, and we’ll both end the evening satisfied and happy.’</p>
<p>Laughing once more, Arthur slid his hands around her waist to undo the button and zip of her jeans, obviously agreeing with her pronouncement. Hermione gave another loud sigh to show her approval.</p>
<p>‘I think we’ll stay in this position tonight,’ Arthur said once he had helped Hermione out of her jeans and knickers and removed his robe and underpants. His cock was rubbing against Hermione’s bottom as he worked on the catch of her bra, wanting to play with her breasts while they fucked.</p>
<p>Hermione made a noise of agreement, all the while hoping she was going to be wet enough. Although she was extremely aroused, Arthur fucking her doggy style was hardcore and was going to be a challenge without any foreplay. She gasped as a hand slid between her legs and his fingers pushed inside her. Obviously he’d had the same thought. Still inside her and holding onto her waist with his other hand, Arthur guided Hermione round so she was facing his workbench.</p>
<p>‘Bend over,’ he commanded.</p>
<p>Hermione leant forward, resting her arms on the workbench. Arthur stroked her bottom with his free hand.</p>
<p>‘You are completely gorgeous,’ he told her.</p>
<p>‘And I want you to fuck me,’ Hermione said.</p>
<p>‘All in good time, Miss Impatient,’ Arthur said giving her bottom a slap of chastisement. He sounded amused. His thumb found her clit and rubbed it gently as his fingers stayed buried inside her for a few minutes, then he removed them. ‘Bend forward a bit more and open your legs wider.’</p>
<p>She did as he asked and Arthur watched as the whole of her perfect vulva came into view. He stroked it, fingers drifting up towards her anus and pressing into the tight hole as Hermione gasped and twitched. After a few seconds of this he stopped, refocussing his efforts on her clit. As much as he would like to try it with her, anal sex wasn’t happening tonight so there was no point in wasting time on that. Better to focus his efforts on ensuring she was ready for his cock. He bent down and licked her slit.</p>
<p>Hermione cried out at the unexpected sensation. Her nerve endings were tingling just from that one assault. She flattened herself on the workbench, pushing her sex out so Arthur could reach her more easily. A moment later she was rewarded with his tongue again and experienced a rush of desire so deep she thought she would drown. Again and again he lapped at her and she could feel that dull ache deep inside her, pulsing and flaring to life as Arthur’s tongue stoked the flames of her arousal. She longed to yell out but the sound wouldn’t come. Instead, she was panting hard and fast as she got closer and closer. She was almost there—</p>
<p>Abruptly, Arthur stopped what he was doing. Hermione cried out in disappointment, feeling the wave that had been steadily building inside her recede. But before she could say anything Arthur was on her, his cock sliding inside her, pushing her down onto the workbench again as he buried himself with a low moan. He pulled back, almost leaving her completely, but then he was back inside her and the wave was building again; a tidal wave this time, growing and strengthening with each hard thrust.</p>
<p>Arthur grabbed Hermione’s breasts, squeezing them as he moved against her, understanding from the noises she was making that she was close to orgasm. He kept the rhythm slow and steady at first, knowing it would frustrate her and cause her to try to take control, even as he pinched her nipples, twisting them to provide the small bursts of pain he knew she thrived on. He could feel her pushing back against him, trying to keep him inside her even as he was pulling back.</p>
<p>‘Oh god, please,’ Hermione wailed, begging Arthur to finish it because she was so close it was unbearable and she thought the agony of having to wait a moment longer would kill her.</p>
<p>Arthur released her breasts, grasping her hips instead as he sped up and rode her hard. Her muscles contracted around him, squeezing and milking, the exquisite feeling making breathing difficult.</p>
<p>‘Arthur . . . oh, Arthur!’</p>
<p>Again Hermione wailed, her pelvis mimicking Arthur’s movements as the flood rose, then surged, crashing down as she burst into tears, the sensation too overwhelming for her to do anything else. With the final contraction Arthur exploded, crying out Hermione’s name as he pushed into her and wrapping his arms around her to pull her to him as he kissed her neck. A few seconds later he withdrew, turning Hermione around to cuddle her tightly as she sobbed on his shoulder.</p>
<p>‘Are you all right?’ he asked, anxious that he had hurt her in some way.</p>
<p>Hermione nodded into his shoulder but she was still crying.</p>
<p>‘I think that was the best yet,’ she said once she had recovered enough to talk. Her eyes were still glistening with tears but they were no longer falling. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever cum that hard before. It made me cry.’</p>
<p>‘It was amazing,’ Arthur agreed.</p>
<p>He hugged her, then released her so they could put their clothes back on.</p>
<p>‘I’m back at work tomorrow,’ he said once they were both fully dressed and Hermione was ready to leave. ‘I think it might be a late one too, so I’m not sure if there will be time for anything—’</p>
<p>Hermione placed her lips on his in a brief and tender kiss as her hand brushed across his now torpid cock, giving it a gentle squeeze.</p>
<p>‘I’m sure we can think of something,’ she whispered, her eyes shining. ‘Don’t work too hard, Mr Weasley.’</p>
<p>She released him, kissed his cheek, then walked to the door.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Monday 28th December 1998</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione wrapped her scarf inside her coat as she did it up. Although the day was beautifully sunny she knew looks were deceptive. It was still bitterly cold out there, the sharp hoar frost on the trees and hedgerows showed that. However, at least that awful wind that tore right through you had dropped so it seemed a good couple of degrees warmer than yesterday. She dug in her pockets for her gloves but only found one. Grunting with annoyance, she looked around at the pile of boots, shoes and bags around her on the floor, stooping to see if she had dropped it. She spotted it half wedged under a boot and bent down to retrieve it.</p>
<p>‘Where are you going?’</p>
<p>Hermione looked round to see Harry, who was watching her carefully.</p>
<p>‘I’m going into Ottery St Catchpole. I want to visit the church. I understand they have an impressive rood screen . . . and misericords.’</p>
<p>‘Do they indeed?’ Harry grinned widely. ‘What the fuck’s a rude screen when it’s at home?’</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head, looking despairing. ‘Don’t you know anything, Harry? A rood as in r-o-o-d screen is a highly decorated screen made of wood or stone which separates the nave from the chancel of the church. Apparently the one in the local church is a particularly fine example.’</p>
<p>Harry opened his mouth to ask what the difference between the nave and the chancel was but then decided he wasn’t sure he was interested enough to find out.</p>
<p>‘Do you want some company?’ he asked.</p>
<p>Hermione stared at him for a moment. ‘Not if you’re just going to be taking the piss the whole time. I’m going out to get away from that.’</p>
<p>‘I won’t say anything, I promise,’ Harry assured her. He grabbed his coat from the rack and pulled a hat from the pocket. He put it on, then looked around for his scarf. ‘Have you seen my scarf anywhere?’</p>
<p>Hermione handed him a Gryffindor one that she took from one of the pegs. She wasn’t convinced it was his, but it was the first she found.</p>
<p>‘Thanks.’ Harry wrapped the scarf around his neck. ‘Are you ready to go?’</p>
<p>‘Yes. Where are Ron and Ginny?’ Hermione asked, trying to keep the tartness from her voice. She wasn’t sure she succeeded.</p>
<p>‘Mrs Weasley’s given them chores to do. I think she’s punishing them for what they were saying about George yesterday. She seemed particularly keen that I didn’t stay so I thought it best to beat a swift retreat before she changed her mind.’</p>
<p>Hermione was a little disappointed with herself for being so happy that Molly was punishing Ron and Ginny, but then she remembered how miserable they had made her feel with their unkindness and the feeling receded somewhat.</p>
<p>‘Let’s go, then,’ she said. ‘A man I was talking to in the pub yesterday said the graveyard is worth looking around as well. Apparently it’s very old.’</p>
<p>‘We’ll see how cold it is first,’ Harry suggested.</p>
<p>As they wandered down the road towards the village, Harry linked arms with Hermione. A small part of her that was still feeling petty about the way she had been treated by her friend wanted to pull away, but she knew they would never make up if she did that. Instead, she continued walking as if nothing had happened.</p>
<p>‘So . . . you were in the pub yesterday. We wondered where you had gone,’ Harry said once the silence became painful.</p>
<p>‘I needed to get away to calm down. I was on the verge of killing you both. The shit you gave me on Saturday night was bad enough but you took it too far by bringing it up again yesterday, and you just wouldn’t shut up, even when you knew you’d really upset me. If I’d had my wand you’d probably both be in St Mungo’s by now.’</p>
<p>‘We did go a bit far,’ Harry admitted ruefully. ‘I’m sorry, Hermione.’</p>
<p>‘Apology accepted,’ Hermione said magnanimously.</p>
<p>They walked another couple of hundred yards before Harry said, ‘But you have to admit it was really funny when you kissed old—’</p>
<p>‘Harry! Just shut up about the bloody party.’</p>
<p>Hermione dropped his arm and strode off, trying to contain her anger. The whole point of this walk was to calm her down and keep her away from all that crap. She knew she should never have let Harry come along.  </p>
<p>Harry hurried to catch up with her, pulling Hermione to a stop as he grabbed her arm.</p>
<p>‘I’m sorry, Hermione. Honestly I am. I promise I won’t say anything else about it.’</p>
<p>Hermione glowered at him for a couple of seconds. ‘You’d better not, otherwise you can go back to the Burrow and don’t bother speaking to me again.’</p>
<p>Harry looked shocked. ‘That’s a bit harsh.’</p>
<p>‘What, compared to all the shit you and Ron have given me over the last couple of days? I got completely pissed because George force-fed me his sodding punch and then I got off with him after kissing half the room first. Yes, it was funny — for the first five minutes. But to still be going on about it three days later — not so funny. And Ron and Ginny have been particularly unfair considering that George and I talked it all out on Christmas Day.’</p>
<p>‘Ginny’s just disappointed that you don’t want to go out with him. You know how much she loves her brothers. I’m not sure what Ron’s problem is, though,’ Harry admitted.</p>
<p>Hermione sighed. ‘I like George but he and I aren’t a good match, you know that, Harry. Can you imagine me spending time at the joke shop? It isn’t going to happen, is it? The magic’s clever but I don’t find it funny and I never have done.’</p>
<p>‘No, I don’t think you two would make a very good couple,’ Harry admitted.</p>
<p>‘So tell Ron and Ginny that, please. And get them to stop having a go at me. I’ve had enough of it.’</p>
<p>‘I’ll talk to them when we get back,’ Harry promised. ‘So who was this bloke you were chatting to in the pub, then?’ he asked, trying to change the subject.</p>
<p>‘I don’t fancy him either before you start. His name’s Tom, he’s eighty-three and he collects glasses in the pub. He’s lived in the village all his life,’ Hermione answered shortly.</p>
<p>‘Not your type either, then,’ Harry said with a wink.</p>
<p>Hermione hit him. ‘No, you cheeky bugger. Definitely not my type. We should go to the pub at some point, though.’</p>
<p>‘I’m up for that, especially rather than hanging around out here in the cold. It’s bloody freezing.’</p>
<p>‘It’s warmer than it was yesterday. There was a bitter wind but that’s dropped now so it’s just cold.’ Hermione said. ‘We’ll go to the pub after we’ve been to the church. They’ve got an interesting sign I think you should see. I think it was painted by a wizard.’</p>
<p>‘A wizard? In Ottery St Catchpole. I presume it was a Weasley, then. They’re the only ones in the area, aren’t they?’</p>
<p>‘Well, actually, I don’t think it was. You’ll see what I mean when you see the sign. Tom said the painter was a wizard because he was wearing a long robe and a floppy hat. Mind you, I think he was about six when he saw him. Of course, back then it <em>might</em> just have been a Muggle painter with an affectation for weird clothes, but it reminded me of all those wizards we saw at the Quidditch World Cup — you know, the ones who were wearing kilts and ponchos and stuff like that because they didn’t understand Muggle fashion at all, and Mr Weasley still wears a robe.’</p>
<p>‘I’m not sure you can base your assumption on that,’ Harry said, sounding dubious.</p>
<p>‘I’m not. I’m basing it on the painting,’ Hermione said smugly. ‘You’ll see what I mean when you see it. The church is this way.’</p>
<p>She pointed down a lane. A small tower could just be seen in the distance behind a couple of hedgerows.</p>
<p>‘It’s actually not too bad out here now I’m getting used to the cold,’ Harry said as they reached the lychgate.</p>
<p>Hermione smiled. ‘Good. In that case we’ll walk around the graveyard first. Then we’ll go into the church to warm up a bit before we head off to the pub.’</p>
<p>The graveyard was interesting, to Hermione at least. She wasn’t sure Harry was so impressed although he tried to appear as if he was enjoying looking at the old gravestones. There was a brief moment of excitement when they found a whole area full of Weasley ancestors, all clustered together next to a wall at the back of the graveyard. But by then the wind had begun to pick up again and it was getting colder so they made their way into the church.</p>
<p>Hermione showed Harry the intricate rood screen and explained about misericords as she examined some fine specimens. She was glad she had taken the time to come and look at the church. It was a particularly good example of the classic English country church from the period and also featured some beautiful stained glass windows.</p>
<p>When she could no longer ignore the fact that Harry wasn’t enjoying the church anywhere near as much as she was, Hermione bought one of the small booklets the church had printed containing details of their religious artefacts and then suggested they head off to the pub, trying not to look amused at the expression of relief that briefly appeared on Harry’s face. She took his arm this time and the two of them walked in much more comfortable silence as they made their way into the village square.</p>
<p>‘The pub’s over there,’ Hermione said, indicating the thatched building.</p>
<p>‘Very rural and picturesque,’ Harry said archly. He looked at the pub sign in the garden, starting in surprise. ‘Surely that’s a Patronus, isn’t it? It looks just like mine.’</p>
<p>Hermione nodded. ‘They call it a dream hind around here. I suppose it looks a bit like a dream or a ghost if you don’t know what it is. Anyway, I told you it was painted by a wizard and now you can see why I don’t think it was a Weasley.’</p>
<p>Harry pulled her across the square and stood just outside the gate, looking at the sign more closely.</p>
<p>‘It really does look like my Patronus.’</p>
<p>‘I did wonder if it was something to do with your family, actually. You all seem to have a thing about deer.’</p>
<p>Harry wrinkled his nose. ‘Not really. My mum had a doe but I think that was because my dad’s was a stag, so they were a matched pair. I’ve got a stag because of my dad.’</p>
<p>‘That doesn’t make sense,’ Hermione said. ‘Everyone’s Patronus is different and it’s to do with who you are as a person, not what your parents’ Patronuses were. Anyway, you didn’t know your dad’s Patronus was a stag until after yours appeared. I still think the deer obsession runs in your family and I also think that maybe the person who painted this was a relative of yours.’</p>
<p>Harry shrugged. ‘I still know so little about my family that you might be right. My grandfather or great-grandfather or whoever it was might have been a painter. It’s a beautiful sign, whoever painted it.’</p>
<p>‘It’s lovely, isn’t it?’ Hermione agreed. ‘I couldn’t stop looking at it yesterday. It’s a shame they don’t sell postcards or something.’</p>
<p>She stared around her, looking for the sort of shop that would sell trinkets and memorabilia. She couldn’t see one in the immediate vicinity but there had to be one around somewhere. Ottery St Catchpole was exactly the sort of old and picturesque Devonshire village that would attract visitors interested in the chocolate box cottages with their thatched roofs and she was certain the village would cash in on the tourists however it could, just as the church did with its booklets and postcards. That was why there were several tea rooms within a stone’s throw from where she was standing, even if most of them were closed because of the time of year.</p>
<p>‘Let’s get inside, it’s freezing out here,’ Harry said. He walked through the gate and into the small garden, glancing at the sign once more as he made his way to the door of the pub. ‘Have you got any—’</p>
<p>‘Muggle money?’ Hermione nodded. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get them in. What do you want to drink?’</p>
<p>‘What are you having?’ Harry asked.</p>
<p>Hermione considered for a moment. ‘I think I’m just going to have orange juice and lemonade again. I honestly can’t face any alcohol after that punch of George’s. He may have managed to make me teetotal.’</p>
<p>They stood at the bar, waiting to be served. It was busier today, presumably because it was a weekday and people had come in for their lunch.</p>
<p>‘I’ll have a pint of the Otter Bitter please, Hermione,’ Harry said as the barmaid came towards them. ‘I’ll get us a table, shall I?’</p>
<p>‘’Ello again,’ the barmaid said with a smile when she saw Hermione. ‘Another orange juice an’ lemonade, is it, m’ lovely?’</p>
<p>‘Yes, please. And a pint of Otter.’ Hermione pointed to the beer pump.</p>
<p>‘Local brew, tha’. It’s a good session beer,’ the barmaid told her. When she saw Hermione look confused she added, ‘It’s not too strong so yer can drink a lot of it without gettin’ completely pie-eyed.’</p>
<p>‘That’s good. We’re still trying to recover from Christmas. Can I have two packets of salt and vinegar crisps as well, please?’</p>
<p>The woman nodded knowingly. She turned away for a moment while she got the crisps from a box on the floor behind her. ‘Overdid it a bit, did ya? We all do tha’ when we’re young. Part of growin’ up, tha’ is.’</p>
<p>‘I still can’t face any alcohol though,’ Hermione admitted.</p>
<p>‘Ya will eventually, just takes a bit o’ time, tha’s all.’</p>
<p>Hermione paid the barmaid then picked up the glasses and the crisps and carried them over to where Harry had found a seat, close to where she had sat the day before. She handed him his pint, put her drink and the crisp packets on the table, then removed her coat before sitting down.</p>
<p>‘You’re right. I can’t stop looking at that sign. It’s very affecting,’ Harry said. He was gazing out of the window.</p>
<p>‘I was hoping Tom might be around. I thought he might be able to tell us a bit more about it, and about the painter. He was a child when it was done.’</p>
<p>‘I wonder if the artist <em>was</em> a member of my paternal family?’ Harry sounded excited at the prospect.</p>
<p>Hermione shrugged. ‘We’ll probably never know, to be honest, Harry. But I still think there’s a fairly good chance considering how similar the deer is to yours.’</p>
<p>It was after they had bought a second drink and were enjoying the warmth of the pub and not looking forward to going back out in the cold that Tom finally made an appearance. Harry had just gone to the loo when Tom walked over to their table, cloth once more in hand. He was smiling.</p>
<p>‘’Ello, m’ dear. Ya come back, then. And brought ya boyfriend this time.’</p>
<p>‘Not a boyfriend, just a friend.’ Hermione put him straight. ‘We came to have a look at the church. It was every bit as interesting as you said it was. Thank you for telling me about it, Tom.’</p>
<p>‘And ya friend, did ’e enjoy it too?’ Tom asked knowingly.</p>
<p>Hermione wrinkled her nose. ‘Not so much, but then it’s not really his sort of thing. He mainly came to get out of the house, and to keep me company.’</p>
<p>She saw Harry walking back towards the table and waved at him.</p>
<p>‘Harry, this is Tom, the man I met yesterday. He was the one who told me all about the church.’</p>
<p>Harry held out his hand to shake Tom’s. Tom stared at him, a look of surprise on his face.</p>
<p>‘Ya knew more abou’ the dream hind than ya was sayin’. Why d’ya pretend ya knew nothin’ abou’ ’er?’ he accused Hermione. He hadn’t taken Harry’s hand.</p>
<p>‘I didn’t know anything about it, and still don’t apart from what little you told me,’ Hermione said honestly. ‘Is there a problem?’</p>
<p>Tom shook his head as if confused, then remembering his manners he clasped Harry’s still outstretched hand, shaking it warmly.</p>
<p>‘Please’ ter meet ya lad. Sorry, for a minute I los’ track o’ where I was. I though’ ya were the painter chappie. The one wha’ done the dream hind. Look righ’ like him, ya do – ’cept for tha’ scar. Corse, he be long dead by now.’ He grinned, then asked. ‘Did ya ’ave a relative ’o were an artist? Ya great-gran’father mebbe?’</p>
<p>Harry let go of Tom’s hand, shrugging as he did so. ‘To be honest, I don’t really know. I don’t much about my family, not on my father’s side, anyway. Unfortunately, my parents both died in a car crash when I was a baby and I went to live with my mother’s sister. By the time I was old enough to start looking into my dad’s side of the family they were all dead and there wasn’t much information on them.’</p>
<p>’Is tha’ ’ow ya got tha’ scar then? It’s more interestin’ than most ya see. Looks like a lightnin’ bolt.’</p>
<p>Harry unconsciously brushed at the scar with his free hand as he nodded. ‘Yes, I was the only survivor of the accident. I don’t even remember it really. Just a flash of light and—’ He broke off, not finishing the sentence.</p>
<p>‘Ah, probably a good thing ya don’t,’ Tom said sympathetically. ‘Terrible thing to ’appen, ’specially to one so young. Didn’ do ya no ’arm though, from the looks of ya.’</p>
<p>‘I’ve survived okay,’ Harry confirmed a little stiffly. He shot a quick glance at Hermione.</p>
<p>‘Are there any records anywhere about the painter or the dream hind? Did he come from around here?’ Hermione asked, knowing Harry wouldn’t want any further discussion about the ‘car crash’ that had supposedly killed his parents.</p>
<p>Tom shook his head. ‘No. ’E were on holiday down ’ere, jus’ enjoying the countryside an’ doin’ a bit ’o paintin’. ’E were stayin’ at the pub. In those days we used to ’ave a couple ’o rooms me da used to rent out ta visitors. ’E weren’ well off, though so ’e agreed to paint the sign in exchange for the room. Me da always said we got the better end of tha’ deal as ’e were obviously a proper artist.’</p>
<p>‘I think your father was right,’ Hermione said with a smile. ‘The sign is magnificent and very unusual. It’s definitely a work of art. I’m surprised you don’t sell postcards of it. I’m sure people would buy them.’</p>
<p>Tom looked disgruntled. ‘We use’ to, but the new owner ain’ interested. ’E jus’ wanna make a profit selling food an’ stuff. ’E don’ care abou’ the ’istory o’ the place. The Post Office still sells ’em if ya wanna get one.’</p>
<p>‘I thought the pub was yours or that someone in your family was running it,’ Hermione said in surprise.</p>
<p>Tom gave a wheezy chuckle. ‘Mine? No, lass. I jus’ ’elp out aroun’ ’ere when me gran’daughter Jilly’s workin’, givin’ ’er a ’and with the glasses ’an tha’.’ He indicated towards the bar. ‘Me da’ sold the pub years ago, when ’e realised I ’ad no interest in it. I wanted to make real money, not be stuck ’ere all me life.’ He sighed and shook his head ruefully. ‘Wors’ mistake I ever made. But it’s too late to worry abou’ it now.’</p>
<p>‘Well, I’m glad to have met and talked to you,’ Hermione said as she finished her drink. ‘If I hadn’t I might not have seen the church, and that would have been a real loss in my opinion.’</p>
<p>‘It were nice ta mee’ you too, lass.’ Tom said. ‘When d’ ya go ’ome?’</p>
<p>‘I’m leaving in a couple of days, after new year, although I’ll be sad to go as it’s so nice down here,’ Hermione told him. She wrapped her scarf around her neck before putting on her coat. ‘I think I’ll head over to the Post Office and see if I can get one of those postcards of the sign . . . and one of the church, too.’</p>
<p>Standing, she looked at Harry, who was still drinking his beer. ‘Don’t rush. You can join me over there when you’ve finished.’</p>
<p>‘If you’re sure?’ Harry had no intention of arguing when it meant he got to stay warm for a few minutes longer.</p>
<p>‘Yep. I’ll see you over there in a bit.’ Hermione turned to Tom again. ‘Thank you again, Tom. Hopefully we’ll see you next time, when we come back later in the year.’</p>
<p>‘I’ll be ’ere as long as Jilly’s still ’ere,’ he told her. He picked up the crisp packets, pushing them into Hermione’s empty glass before picking that up too.</p>
<p>With a final wave, Hermione headed off out into the cold.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hermione studied Arthur carefully. He was looking tired, far more so than he ought to be after only one day back at work.</p>
<p>‘Are you okay, Mr Weasley?’ she asked.</p>
<p>He smiled wanly at her. ‘Yes. It’s just been a very long day, Hermione. Some days I look at what we’ve achieved over the last six months or so and I feel proud at how far we’ve come. But other days—’ Arthur broke off, shaking his head sadly.</p>
<p>‘Things not going well at the Ministry?’</p>
<p>‘Oh, it’s not that it’s not going well, not really. It’s just that everything moves at such a snail’s pace, even with proactive people like Kingsley in charge. Some people just get hung up on the stupidest points and it seems to take forever to get moving again.’ Arthur sighed. ‘Ignore me. I’m just being a bit grumpy this evening. You know how it is when you’re rebuilding a civilisation. It’s nothing but argument and talking . . . so much bloody talking.’</p>
<p>‘Well, I know how to make you feel better.’ Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug.</p>
<p>Arthur laughed. ‘I’m sure you do, Hermione. It never fails to amaze me how you can always get a reaction, even when I’m convinced it’s never going to happen.’</p>
<p>‘I just love making you cum,’ she admitted.</p>
<p>Hermione was already reaching for his cock, immediately realising she had a lot to achieve in a short amount of time. Arthur currently wasn’t at all aroused, which was quite unusual, but it meant that a good hard fuck was going to be out of the question. She could give him a blow job, though, could relax him in the way he had worked so hard to relax her the day before.</p>
<p>Dropping to her knees she continued to tug on the soft flesh, slowly feeling it begin to stiffen, wanting to get at least a little rigidity before she took it in her mouth. She could hear Arthur sighing quietly as she worked on him. Hermione looked up. His head was thrown back and he had his eyes closed, but while it was clear he was enjoying what she was doing to him he still showed signs of stress with the deep furrow in his brow.</p>
<p>Hermione returned her attention to what she was doing. The best way to relax Arthur was to get him to climax, and she knew the easiest way to do that was to massage his perineum and prostate; that always dramatically increased his arousal and was guaranteed to having him cumming in a relatively short amount of time.</p>
<p>She bent forward slightly, running her tongue around the head of his shaft, teasing and tickling across the tip as Arthur groaned once more. Her mouth dipped, swallowing him, not deep but enough to make a difference as she sucked hard, feeling the stiffness increase with each attempt. Once he was fully rigid Hermione released him for a moment, staring at it appreciatively before using her tongue to tease once more, over the head and then swirling down the length, her hands now cupping his balls as she played.</p>
<p>Arthur gripped the edge of the workbench, his fingers clutching the wood tightly, moaning lowly as Hermione continued to tease. Her free hand moved to stroke the area between his testes and his anus, pressing harder as her mouth returned to sucking and swallowing. Again Arthur groaned, longer and louder this time, and she felt his cock twitch in her mouth.</p>
<p>‘Please—’ he moaned, begging Hermione to touch him in the way she was so good at.</p>
<p>Hermione listened to his pleas and answered his silent prayers, her middle finger moving back to circle his anus, still stroking as Arthur’s buttocks clenched.</p>
<p>‘Relax,’ she whispered, an order given and received, and Arthur gave a low cry, the pleasure almost overwhelming him as the finger was inserted, probing gently at first, then moving deeper and curving to stroke his prostate, pressing and rubbing the sensitive nub that made him scream with joy.</p>
<p>Again Hermione’s mouth was back on his cock, sucking him deeper than she had so far taken him, intensifying the sensation that was rushing through Arthur’s body like a sparkling river. He thrust, unable to stop himself, but Hermione had already retreated, only the head now being sucked, so hard that he thought it was going to explode.</p>
<p>Hermione’s finger moved inside him again, the sensation combining with the gentle squeeze on his balls and the exquisite sucking motion, and Arthur erupted, both from his cock and his mouth, the harsh drawn-out wail making clear his enjoyment as his pelvis thrust forward, emptying his seed into her warm, willing mouth. She continued to suck for a few seconds more, until the sound died, then freed Arthur’s once more sagging member, her finger slipping from his anus as she released his balls.</p>
<p>‘Thank you, Hermione. That was wonderful as always,’ Arthur said sincerely, once she had stood up to join him.</p>
<p>He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close for a kiss. For a moment Hermione hesitated but then she relented, wrapping her arms around him in return as her tongue plundered his mouth in search of his. Maybe it shouldn’t be happening, but she liked kissing Arthur and didn’t want it to stop.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘Harry and I saw some of your ancestors in the graveyard at the church this morning,’ Hermione said conversationally, sometime later once the kissing had finally ceased. ‘And we visited the local pub. Have you seen the sign there?’</p>
<p>Arthur frowned at the unexpected subject change. ‘Pub?’</p>
<p>‘I think it’s called the White Hind,’ Hermione said. ‘It’s got a very interesting sign outside.’</p>
<p>‘With the Patronus,’ Arthur confirmed with a nod as he remembered. He smiled as he looked at Hermione. ‘My grandfather used to chuckle about it because the Muggles all thought it was supposed to be a ghost.’</p>
<p>‘I think it was painted by one of Harry’s relatives. I thought it looked like his Patronus as soon as I saw it. And Tom, the old barman, said that Harry looked just like the painter. Apparently he met him when he was a child,’ Hermione said.</p>
<p>Arthur looked pensive for a few seconds. ‘Do you know what? Now you come to mention it I do seem to recall something about a Potter coming down this way. He’d come for a holiday or something and couldn’t afford to pay for his room at the inn so he painted them the sign instead. He was a friend of my grandfather’s and was supposed to be staying here at the Burrow, but they had a falling out — over something trivial no doubt — and so he moved to stay at the pub in the village instead.’</p>
<p>‘I knew it was something to do with Harry,’ Hermione said, sounding pleased. ‘Do you think there would be any records anywhere about the painting, or about his visit, or even what his name was, Mr Weasley? I know Harry would be interested to find out more about his family.’</p>
<p>‘There might be something up in the attic, old diaries and whatnot. I suppose I could have a look up there next weekend.’  </p>
<p>‘Would it be okay if we went up there and had a look ourselves? We could do it tomorrow,’ Hermione suggested.</p>
<p>Arthur shrugged. ‘If you want to. Ron will need to talk to the ghoul, but he should be okay. He can always move to Ron’s bedroom for a bit if he’s not comfortable with you all being up there.’</p>
<p>‘Thank you. I’m sure Harry will be pleased with anything he finds,’ Hermione said. She wrapped her arms around his waist again. ‘And hopefully you won’t be so tired tomorrow.’</p>
<p>‘I’m sorry that I wasn’t a lot of use to you this evening,’ Arthur said, sounding rueful.</p>
<p>‘I’m perfectly happy with what happened,’ Hermione replied honestly. ‘As much as I’d like to fuck you every day I know that’s not always going to be possible. Anyway, I like sucking your cock, you know I do.’</p>
<p>Arthur grinned. ‘I had gathered that, luckily for me. You’re certainly extremely enthusiastic, Hermione. You’re wonderful.’</p>
<p>‘That’s because—’ Hermione stopped, a flush of colour rising up her face as she realised what she had been about to say. Embarrassed and suddenly anxious, she pulled Arthur to her, gave him a quick peck on the lips, then released him. ‘I’d better go.’</p>
<p>Before Arthur could say anything or make a move to stop her, Hermione hurried to the door, not looking back.</p>
<p>Arthur frowned as he watched her go, wondering what she had been about to say and what had happened to make her run away so quickly. For a moment he thought about going after her but managed to stop himself. Whatever it was, Hermione didn’t want to talk to him about it at the moment so he would have to wait until she decided to open up to him. No point in risking an argument, and anyway, he couldn’t take it into the house. It was against the rules.</p>
<p>He opened the drawer of his workbench and pulled out the bottle of Firewhisky and a glass, unscrewing the lid of the bottle to pour himself a small measure. He pulled the chair from under the workbench and sat down, swirling the liquid around the glass as he stared into it. He wasn’t in the mood for doing any work tonight, he was still feeling mentally exhausted despite Hermione’s wonderful ministrations; but he was happy to sit out here quietly, thinking about his beautiful young lover.</p>
<p>The truth was that whatever they both tried to pretend, Arthur knew that Hermione was no longer just one of his Muggle artefacts. Without intending to she had become so much more to him, and although she had never admitted it, he was fairly certain Hermione saw him in a different way from when she had first sought to play. However hard she had tried to stop what they were doing affecting his marriage it had happened anyway, and Arthur didn’t think he would ever be able to go back to how it was before, not even if she decided she no longer wanted to spend time with him.</p>
<p>There was no way he should be doing these treacherous yet undeniably wonderful things with Hermione, and he shouldn’t even be thinking about the things he wanted to do with her, but although he still loved his wife every bit as much as he had always done Arthur knew that the type of love he had to offer had changed over the years. With Molly he felt a deep feeling of affection, the sort of homely love that had sustained them for years and would, no doubt, continue for many more to come. But there was no passion burning there any longer.</p>
<p>That flame had slowly burnt itself out as friendship replaced it, like a comfortable old shoe that had moulded itself so completely to your foot that it was almost part of you and you couldn’t imagine ever being without it. Hermione wasn’t to blame for that. It had been going on for years, decades even, and was always where they were going to end up as priorities and circumstances changed. There was nothing wrong with that type of love; many couples lived perfectly happily for the rest of their lives with nothing more than a deep and abiding affection for each other, just as he and Molly had been doing for years now.</p>
<p>But as Hermione’s desire for him flared like an inferno, so Arthur’s for her increased in strength in turn, and his desire to be with her, to love her in the way she deserved to be loved, made his guilt about what he was doing grow even more than it had done back in the summer. He knew logically that this intense passion between them couldn’t be sustained indefinitely, that it was a fireball that would burn itself out, and probably sooner rather than later, but that didn’t stop the desire, nor did it stop his deep-seated guilt that was becoming more crippling by the day.</p>
<p>Part of him wanted to come clean to Molly about what was happening, wanted to admit that he had fallen in love with Hermione and he couldn’t keep away from her, but Arthur knew that would be a disaster and would be the end of his marriage, and it would cause all sorts of problems within the family. Hermione didn’t want that anyway; the rules she governed the relationship by were strictly enforced to ensure that didn’t happen, and it was the relaxing of those rules that had caused these feelings of dissatisfaction and guilt. </p>
<p>The obvious thing to do would be to end it with Hermione, but Arthur couldn’t bear the idea of that either. She would be gone in a week anyway, back off to Hogwarts, and Merlin only knew when she would next be at the Burrow, probably not until Easter at the earliest.</p>
<p>As Arthur poured himself another drink he wondered once again what Hermione had been about to say to him. Whatever it was, there was no point in obsessing over it tonight. She would talk to him when she was ready, or maybe she wouldn’t, but whatever the case there was no point in pushing her to give up her secrets.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Tuesday 29th December 1998</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione paced the bedroom like a caged animal, unable to settle. She desperately wanted to go and see Arthur; she needed his touch and the wonderful pleasure he could so easily provide if she gave him the chance. But if she went to see him she would have to explain why she had run away last night, and that she wasn’t anywhere near ready to do.</p>
<p>She had spent the day in the attic with Harry, Ron and Ginny, the four of them going through piles of paperwork and boxes full of bric-a-brac, searching for anything that might shed some light on the painter of the dream hind and his time spent in Ottery St Catchpole. It was dusty and there was so much stuff piled up in there that Hermione doubted they would get through it all in one day. But Harry was determined and his enthusiasm prompted everyone else to get on with it as well.</p>
<p>Hermione had enjoyed the day because the family history stored in the attic was interesting enough to allow her to forget for a brief period the awful mistake she had almost made the night before, although a stack of love letters between Arthur’s parents tied up with a red satin ribbon made it come flooding back with a jolt.</p>
<p>Fortunately, it was shortly after their discovery that Ginny came across the diaries of her great-grandfather, and once again Hermione’s mind was able to push away the unwelcome thoughts that were plaguing her. The four of them each took a diary and rapidly scanned the pages for any mention of a Potter.</p>
<p>Ron was the eventual winner, after a good hour and several diaries lay discarded in a pile on the floor in front of them. He had discovered an entry about a young Muggle woman called Belinda, from a farm near the village, who had caused the seemingly irreparable rift between up-until-then best friends, Barnabus Weasley and Jeremiah Potter because they had both fallen in love with her after one too many drinks in the local pub one evening. The writer had a flair for the dramatic, which Ron played up in his reading, and the group spent quite some time in fits of laughter as he related the events so carefully documented in the diary.</p>
<p>One entry finished with Jeremiah storming out of the Burrow to be with his ‘one true love’. Apparently, he had not taken his luggage with him in his fit of pique, and another argument ensued when he returned the following day to collect it. The next entry detailed the bout of fisticuffs that followed his return, along with the threat of a duel. That didn’t happen because Jeremiah had ‘flounced off’ . . . according to Barnabus, anyway. There was a further entry a few days later that explained how Belinda was already married and had apparently been completely unaware of the two men fighting for her affections.</p>
<p>But the damage was already done, the friendship lay in tatters, and Jeremiah ended his holiday staying at the pub in which he and his erstwhile friend had first spied the fair maiden who had come between them. One final entry came a few weeks later when Barnabus grudgingly recorded his admiration for the painting of the dream hind that Jeremiah had completed as a sign for the pub in return for his board and lodging. The record confirmed that the hind was Jeremiah’s Patronus. </p>
<p>They continued to search the diaries in case any other information regarding Jeremiah or any other Potter was mentioned but eventually had to admit defeat. Hermione was pleased to have found confirmation of her theory and she knew Harry was happy to have acquired some information about his father’s relatively unknown ancestors, however scant.</p>
<p>Eventually, they packed away the various belongings and left the attic, heading for the kitchen to get a drink after all that dust. Hermione and Harry agreed that they would take Ron and Ginny to the pub the following evening after the two men finished work so they could see the sign for themselves and possibly talk to old Tom about what they had discovered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hermione was subdued when she finally joined Arthur in the shed, and he couldn’t help but remember the way she had hurried away from him the night before. He wondered whether he ought to mention it in case he had done something, whatever it was, to exacerbate the situation, but decided against it in case it sparked an argument that ended badly.</p>
<p>He had something to ask Hermione, something he had been considering for quite some time now, but because of her pensive mood Arthur wasn’t sure whether he should mention it in case it made things more difficult.</p>
<p>‘Was work better today?’ Hermione eventually asked when the silence between them became just a little too awkward and she felt the need to break the tension. ‘You don’t seem as tired this evening.’</p>
<p>Arthur smiled at her. ‘I’m not. I had quite a good day, actually. I didn’t have any meetings so I could get on with some real work without having to listen to endless people wittering on about rubbish for hours on end.’</p>
<p>Hermione moved closer to him, allowing him to enfold her in his arms although it was clear there was a slight reserve about her actions. After a few seconds Arthur released her, trying not to frown, still wondering what he had done to cause the current state of affairs. He couldn’t think of anything in particular. Perhaps if he ignored it and moved on with his original plan the tension would ease a little. It needed to if he had any hope of getting Hermione to agree to the request he was going to put forward.</p>
<p>‘We’ve got plenty of time for once with you getting home from work so early, so what do you want to do this afternoon?’ Hermione asked.</p>
<p>She was trying to ignore the swirling feeling in her stomach that made her want to run away before Arthur started asking her difficult questions she didn’t want to answer. Her hand brushed over his robe, catching it and pulling it up to reveal his underpants and the expected hard bulge inside. Perhaps if they moved on to sex it would remove the tension that she knew was her fault.</p>
<p>Arthur caught hold of her free wrist and pulled her towards him again.</p>
<p>‘A kiss would be good to start with,’ he said.</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head. ‘Mr Weasley— we agreed—’</p>
<p>Arthur smiled. ‘I know we did, Hermione. But we haven’t exactly been very good at keeping to that, have we, so why would one more night make any difference? Anyway, I want to kiss you . . . I like kissing you, and you’re a Muggle artefact, so—’</p>
<p>The final words were left unsaid as his mouth found hers, tender and almost tentative to begin with. Hermione wrapped her arms around Arthur in response and the kiss deepened.</p>
<p>They kissed for about ten minutes. Hermione didn’t want it to end but knew it must, even though she was aware that it was far too late and the damage had been done a week ago when she had kissed him on the first evening she had arrived at the Burrow. Even now she couldn’t help but berate herself for her lack of judgement, but it had happened and now she had no choice but to deal with the consequences. And for her, that meant only one outcome. She had to permanently end her association with Arthur.</p>
<p>Ending it was actually the last thing Hermione wanted to do, but she knew she had no choice if she wanted any hope of saving Arthur’s marriage to Molly. Things between them had gone too far and despite all the rules she had set herself she had fallen in love with Arthur. Hermione knew that if she allowed the relationship to continue she would end up putting pressure on him to choose her over his wife, and that definitely couldn’t be allowed to happen.</p>
<p>If she was being honest, Hermione had known while she was still at Hogwarts that her feelings were more intense than they should have been; her thoughts had turned on several occasions from general ones of Arthur and their wonderful lovemaking to how different it would be if she was his wife and had full and unfettered access to everything that went with that state rather than remaining the Muggle artefact she had set herself up as.</p>
<p>Hermione knew she should have ended it then, should have turned down the invitation to come to the Burrow for Christmas and stayed at school instead or, having accepted the invitation, should never have come back to the shed and tempted Arthur once more. She should have tried to pretend nothing had happened between them back in the summer; she was pretty sure Arthur would never have said anything to her about it and would have accepted her decision.</p>
<p>But the problem was that Hermione hadn’t wanted to stop and she had let herself get carried away, and now she had no choice, even if it was going to make her unhappy — and she already knew that being away from Arthur permanently would definitely make her unhappy.</p>
<p>She was aware Arthur was acting tentatively around her, his usual tendency to instigate proceedings surrendered in response to the atmosphere she had created. She needed to get things back on track and get this encounter over and done with, and then she had to tell him it was over.</p>
<p>As the final kiss ended Hermione’s hand found his cock once more and she gripped the shaft firmly as she wanked him, hoping this would be enough to set things in motion.</p>
<p>‘What do you want to do?’ she asked, trying to make her voice low and seductive as she pushed away the anxieties that filled her, determined now that this last time with Arthur would be every bit as magnificent as their previous couplings.</p>
<p>Arthur stared at her and for a moment uncertainty flickered in his eyes. Hermione wondered whether he was going to send her back to the house, whether her consternation had started something similar within him and was feeding the guilt that she knew was still only just buried below the surface. But then he smiled, a well-known expression of desire sweeping to replace any negativity, and gave a low moan of pleasure at what she was doing.</p>
<p>‘I want to undress you,’ he said quietly, his voice conveying so much more meaning than the actual phrase had expressed. ‘Hopefully it’s warm enough in here.’</p>
<p>Hermione shivered with excitement, understanding Arthur’s desire for her hadn’t diminished because of her weird mood.</p>
<p>‘You always want to undress me,’ she pointed out lightly.</p>
<p>Arthur laughed. ‘That’s because you’re so gorgeous that I love seeing you naked.’</p>
<p>‘Are you going to get naked as well?’</p>
<p>‘I’m not gorgeous so I’m not sure why you’d want to see me,’ Arthur said a touch ruefully.</p>
<p>‘Oh, I don’t know. I find you pretty sexy,’ Hermione admitted. She squeezed him and Arthur hissed.</p>
<p>‘I asked first,’ Arthur said.</p>
<p>His hands were moving over Hermione’s body, skimming over her curves and stopping to squeeze her breasts for a few seconds before moving back down and grasping the base of her jumper. Hermione released her grip on him and moved her arms above her head so Arthur could remove it.</p>
<p>‘Is it warm enough in here?’ he asked</p>
<p>‘Yes, it’s quite pleasant this evening.’</p>
<p>Once Hermione was naked Arthur’s hands began to move again, caressing her and enjoying the feel of her soft skin as they traced over her stomach and up towards her breasts. He played with them, enjoying the beautiful mounds he had spent so much time on in the past, knowing how aroused she would get from the attention.</p>
<p>Eventually, Hermione began to undress him and Arthur finally released her breasts and allowed her to remove his robe, still unable to understand why she was so eager to see him naked. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, enjoying holding her but battling the urge to kiss her once more. Then his hands were moving again, this time stroking and cupping her delicious tight bottom as the arousal flared within him, his hardness pressed unapologetically against her mound.  </p>
<p>‘I thought we might try something different tonight. I was hoping you might agree to have anal sex with me.’ Arthur finally voiced the desire that had been playing around the inside of his mind for months.</p>
<p>Hermione looked surprised. ‘I know you’ve fingered my bottom a few times but you’ve never actually mentioned having sex before.’</p>
<p>‘I’ve thought about it a lot, though,’ Arthur admitted. ‘But if you don’t want to do it—’</p>
<p>For a moment the thought that as a Muggle artefact Hermione couldn’t say no to him crossed his mind, but he forced it away. Their relationship had gone way beyond his demands and if Hermione wasn’t interested then that would be the end of it as far as Arthur was concerned. He didn’t want to do something she had no interest in. The whole point was for them both to get enjoyment from the things they did together.</p>
<p>‘I’ve never done it before,’ Hermione said.</p>
<p>Arthur smiled. ‘Neither have I, so we’re both anal virgins.’ When Hermione looked surprised again he said, ‘To be honest, Molly’s never been the most adventurous of women so it wasn’t something I ever felt comfortable suggesting to her. But I know you enjoyed it when I fingered you, so . . . .’</p>
<p>Hermione gave him a brief peck on the lips. ‘I’m game if you are. It will be good to try something new, especially as you’ve never done it either.’</p>
<p>As she said the words, Hermione felt a small ball of disappointment form in her stomach. The truth was that while the idea of sharing something with Arthur that he had never done with his wife appealed more than she wanted to admit, it was an unknown quantity at the moment and there was no guarantee that she, or Arthur come to that, would enjoy it.</p>
<p>She had so wanted her last time with him to be something special; a spectacular outpouring of her love for him as they fucked, something she could, once she finally recovered enough, look back on with fondness. She wasn’t sure that anal sex, especially a first attempt, was going to fit the bill.</p>
<p>‘You don’t have to say yes because you think it’s what you should do because you’re an artefact, Hermione,’ Arthur told her gravely. ‘I only want you to do it if you really want to try it.’</p>
<p>Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and she smiled at him. ‘I want to do it. I want to do everything with you, Mr Weasley. I thought you realised that.’</p>
<p>‘I’m so glad you said that,’ Arthur admitted, his voice a soft murmur in her ear.</p>
<p>One of his hands moved to slide down the crack of her bottom as Hermione opened her legs to give him access. She moaned as Arthur’s fingers slid inside her vulva, his thumb catching her clit and surprising her as she had expected him to focus exclusively on her bottom.</p>
<p>‘Do you want me to bend over the workbench again?’ she asked after he had fingered her for a few minutes.</p>
<p>‘No, I want you to get <em>on</em> the workbench . . . on your hands and knees with your legs apart.’ Hermione stared at him with confusion and Arthur smiled. ‘I thought that as we have plenty of time tonight we’d have some foreplay first,’ he explained.</p>
<p>He lifted her onto the workbench and spent a few seconds moving her into what he considered to be the correct position, her beautiful slit, glistening from her arousal, now in the perfect position for him to use his tongue. Hermione gasped as he tasted her, overjoyed that Arthur was still intent on giving her pleasure in the usual way rather than moving straight on to the anal sex. Perhaps her memories would be good ones after all. She cried out, unable to stop herself, as Arthur’s fingers pushed inside her anus, probing deeply even as he continued with his mouth on her sex.</p>
<p>‘Are you okay?’ he asked anxiously, rising for a second, and Hermione gave a moan of desire to let him know she was fine.</p>
<p>He pushed his fingers deeper as his mouth covered her clit, licking at first then gently sucking on it. Hermione squealed and her body bucked, her breath taken away by the intense feeling caused by Arthur’s fingers inside her.</p>
<p>‘Oh god, that feels so good,’ she whispered.</p>
<p>Arthur released her clit, his tongue now swirling through her labia. Then Hermione was panting at the sensations that washed through the lower half of her body, trying to pace herself and last as long as she could. His fingers were gone now and Hermione wondered why he had stopped, but a moment later they returned, colder and covered in something that made their passage much easier.</p>
<p>‘What’s that?’ Hermione tried to ask, the panting rising once more as his fingers moved in and out, gaining speed with each thrust.</p>
<p>Arthur ignored her, his tongue still working on her vulva and clitoris. He was concentrating on her breathing, knowing Hermione was close to cumming, and he had no intention of ruining it for her by slowing down or stopping at the crucial moment.</p>
<p>‘I need your cock,’ Hermione whimpered desperately as her pelvis undulated, riding the sensation Arthur was eliciting with his fingers and tongue. ‘Oh god . . . please, Arthur . . . give it to me.’</p>
<p>Again Arthur ignored Hermione’s pleas, knowing she now only had seconds. He gently flicked her clit and Hermione screamed as her body spasmed, a wail of release as she finally exploded. Not giving her time to recover, Arthur pulled Hermione from the workbench and pushed her forward over it, at the same time reaching into the drawer. A moment later his hand emerged covered in a thick cream which he slathered around his throbbing erection, hissing slightly at the coldness of it. Once he was certain he was well covered his fingers returned to Hermione’s bottom, pushing back inside her to ensure she was ready for him.</p>
<p>‘If you want me to stop please tell me, Hermione,’ he told her quietly as his fingers withdrew and the head of his cock took their place at the tight entrance.</p>
<p>‘I want this,’ Hermione confirmed, realising that what she was saying was true. She wanted to give Arthur this experience, wanted to leave him with a memory he would treasure, knowing she had given him something that Molly never would.</p>
<p>‘Oh, Hermione, my love,’ Arthur whispered in her ear as he pushed slowly, one hand guiding his cock while the other held her hip.</p>
<p>Hermione felt the intense pressure and a stinging sensation as he entered her. She hissed and Arthur instantly stopped moving.</p>
<p>‘Are you all right?’ he asked sounding anxious.</p>
<p>‘It stings a bit,’ Hermione admitted. ‘Can we use more lubrication?’</p>
<p>Before she even finished asking Arthur had pulled out of her. He opened the drawer to retrieve the lubrication he had used previously.</p>
<p>‘This cream is supposed to be specifically for anal sex,’ he said, showing Hermione.</p>
<p>‘I’m sure it works,’ Hermione said. ‘I think we just need a bit more of it.’ She dipped her hand into the pot then gently began to stroke Arthur’s cock. ‘It feels good, anyway,’ she said. She looked down. The hard mass was now completely hidden by a thick layer of cream. ‘Hopefully that will do it. Let’s have another go.’</p>
<p>‘Let me put more inside you as well,’ Arthur said. His fingers dipped into the pot as Hermione turned back to lean over the bench once more, her legs open to give him access.</p>
<p>‘That stuff feels cold,’ she said as his fingers pressed inside her.</p>
<p>‘I think it’s supposed to dull the sensation a bit.’</p>
<p>After another couple of seconds Arthur tried again and was pleased when he managed to insert himself without any further problems.</p>
<p>‘How does it feel?’ he asked anxiously.</p>
<p>‘Weird,’ Hermione said. ‘I feel really full up. But I think it’ll be okay. You just need to fuck me.’</p>
<p>‘Don’t forget to tell me if you want to stop or if it hurts,’ Arthur said.</p>
<p>‘I will, but I don’t think you need to worry. It feels good.’</p>
<p>‘Yes, it does,’ Arthur agreed.</p>
<p>He kissed the area between her shoulder blades as he began to move, slowly at first, his hands holding Hermione’s hips to keep her in place. Once he was certain she wasn’t in pain and was actually enjoying what was happening, Arthur began to increase the pace until her breathing shallowed. He pushed harder, feeling himself slide deeper as Hermione gasped loudly, but he didn’t stop, instead waiting to see if she said anything as he continued to fuck her.</p>
<p>Arthur closed his eyes and savoured the feeling that was rising up inside him, the strong muscles of Hermione’s anus gripping him so tightly he thought his cock would explode. But although she didn’t say anything to stop him, he wasn’t sure Hermione was enjoying it as much as he was. She needed more and he knew what to do.</p>
<p>He released his right hand from her hip and slid it around her leg, fingers probing to find her stiff little bud as he increased the pace of his thrusting slightly. Hermione gave a wail and her lower body bucked wildly as his fingers stroked her clit. Arthur’s eyes almost rolled at the incredible sensations her movement was causing within his own body.</p>
<p>‘Oh fuck, that feels good,’ he whispered, needing her to know how amazing what she was doing for him felt.</p>
<p>Faster still now, and Arthur realised that Hermione was still moving too, both of them fucking almost as energetically as when they did it doggy style. The feeling was astonishing, so different from that when he was in her vagina, and once again Arthur found himself thanking her for allowing him to take her that way. He wasn’t going to last much longer, though. She was milking him with those strong muscles and he was no match.</p>
<p>Trying to hold on for as long as possible, Arthur concentrated on Hermione’s clit, hoping to both achieve the onset of her orgasm and delay his own. He could hear her ragged breathing, small sobs every time his finger rubbed her now over-sensitive clit, but he couldn’t stop the pressure building inside him. With a loud cry he erupted, wrapping his arms around Hermione to pull her to him, his mouth finding her shoulder as he felt the release. Once he was finished he moved back and let go of Hermione and turned her to face him. He gazed at his beautiful lover for only a second before he hugged her again, his mouth finding hers for an intense kiss.</p>
<p>‘I’m sorry, my love, I couldn’t hold on,’ he said ruefully once the kiss was over. ‘You didn’t cum, did you?’</p>
<p>Hermione smiled and stroked his face. ‘No, but you made me cum earlier, remember.’</p>
<p>‘But I wanted you to cum . . . I wanted you to enjoy it.’</p>
<p>Hermione cut him off with another kiss, understanding that if she let him continue Arthur’s guilt would ruin what they had just done.</p>
<p>‘I did enjoy it,’ she told him once they had finished kissing. ‘It felt amazing you being inside me like that. But I don’t think I’d ever be able to cum from it. The sensation is completely different and didn’t set off that ache at all.’ She saw Arthur look disappointed and smiling again, she quickly added, ‘But I don’t need to cum that way. You make me cum so many ways, Mr Weasley. It’s nice to find one where I can return the favour. You obviously enjoyed it.’</p>
<p>‘You’ve got no idea,’ Arthur said quietly, sounding overawed. ‘I can’t even begin to describe how different it was. It was completely wonderful.’</p>
<p>‘Was it better than normal?’ Hermione asked, trying hard to keep her voice even as she wondered with a touch of disappointment whether she had lost any chance of a normal fuck before she left. Was Arthur only going to want to do it anally if they did it again?</p>
<p>‘No,’ Arthur responded instantly. ‘It was amazing, but nothing could beat the feel of your wonderful vagina, Hermione. I love having anal sex with you and would definitely do it again if you’ll let me, but it’s not going to replace all those other marvellous positions that feel so fantastic.’</p>
<p>Hermione smiled happily as she kissed him again, her hand moving to seek out his cock. It was probably limp but with any luck she might be able to get a reaction and maybe she could convince Arthur into one final glorious fuck. They still had plenty of time, after all. She was pleased to discover he was still semi-erect. That would certainly make it easier.</p>
<p>‘I want you to fuck me,’ Hermione whispered in his ear as her hand gripped his shaft and squeezed. Arthur hissed. ‘I want you to fill me with your cum,’ she continued. She kissed his ear.</p>
<p>‘I will be more than happy to fulfil that request as soon as I get hard again, and as soon as we’ve had a bit of a clean-up,’ Arthur said.</p>
<p>His hand had found his wand and Hermione felt a soft breeze on her body and then on her hand. Realising it was Arthur casting a charm she released his cock, allowing him to clean it. Once he was finished she took hold of his nicely stiffening member again, tugging and squeezing in the way she knew would make him hard.</p>
<p>Finished with the cleaning, Arthur moved a hand between her legs, fingers sliding inside her. His mouth dipped to capture one of her nipples and sucked gently on the stiff bud as he enjoyed the sensation of Hermione’s hand on his cock. He was already getting aroused again and knew it wouldn’t be long before he could grant her desire.</p>
<p>The good thing was that her introspective mood seemed to have lifted, although she was still obviously not quite back to her old self. Hermione was never usually quite so vocal about her own desires but Arthur thought it was a good thing that she was finally speaking up, even if it wasn’t quite in the spirit of her being nothing more than a Muggle artefact.</p>
<p>He found it exciting when she told him what she wanted him to do to her. Maybe he would to get her to do it more often. But now he wanted to prepare her for his cock, wanted to use his tongue to bring her to climax before he fucked her again.</p>
<p>‘Back onto the workbench for you,’ he said, holding her waist gently as he lifted her. ‘Sitting with your legs open. I want to examine you before we go any further.’</p>
<p>Hermione sighed happily as Arthur bent closer, his tongue flicking around her still-stiff bud for a few seconds before moving lower to tease her labia. She closed her eyes, thoroughly enjoying the waves of pleasure that were already building inside her. The excitement of knowing she was soon going to feel his cock again stoked her arousal.</p>
<p>As she drifted away on a wave of bliss her mind conjured a vision of her and Arthur, not out in his cold shed but instead in a bed, comfortable and warm. She jolted, opening her eyes and pushing the thought out of her mind as rapidly as she could manage, trying to calm her suddenly racing heart and hoping that Arthur hadn’t noticed.</p>
<p>He had.</p>
<p>‘Did I hurt you?’ he asked, sounding worried.</p>
<p>‘No, sorry. It was just a bit too intense,’ Hermione said, covering. ‘I’m feeling quite sensitive.’</p>
<p>‘Do you want me to stop?’ Arthur tried to bite back his disappointment.</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head. ‘Of course not, just be careful with my clit.’</p>
<p>Arthur grinned. ‘I was about to suck it.’</p>
<p>‘Please don’t do that. I think I’ll pass out.’</p>
<p>‘Well, that would be an interesting reaction.’ His fingers stroked Hermione’s soft folds, carefully keeping away from her clitoral region.</p>
<p>‘But then I’d miss you fucking me,’ Hermione pointed out. ‘And I <em>really</em> don’t want to miss out on that.’</p>
<p>‘Okay, well as you asked so nicely I will attempt to <em>not </em>make you pass out, although I do still want you to cum.’</p>
<p>‘You might need to stop talking then,’ Hermione said cheekily.</p>
<p>Arthur flicked her clit and Hermione squealed.</p>
<p>‘Not fair,’ she said, then groaned loudly as Arthur’s mouth found her slit once more.</p>
<p>By the time Hermione had cum, Arthur was fully erect and ready to go.</p>
<p>‘What position do you want to do it in? Seeing as you’re being so vocal about your desires this evening.’</p>
<p>Hermione shrugged. ‘I don’t mind. As long your cock’s inside me I don’t really care how we do it. What do you want?’</p>
<p>Arthur thought about it for a moment. ‘I know it probably seems a bit boring, especially after the anal sex, but I wouldn’t mind doing it in the Missionary position, to be honest. It always feels so good and I get to see your beautiful face at the same time.’</p>
<p>Hermione moved so she was on the edge of the workbench and opened her arms to welcome him in. ‘Yes please, Mr Weasley.’</p>
<p>Arthur moved forward as she wrapped her arms around him. He held his cock and guided it as Hermione hugged him, pulling him towards her. A moment later she gave a purr of delight as his erection slid inside her, an overwhelming feeling of desire and gratitude coursing through her. As Arthur’s arms encircled her in return Hermione moved her legs, pulling him deeper as her feet pressed on his buttocks.</p>
<p>‘The feel of you wrapped around me never gets old. It always feels so incredible,’ Arthur admitted.</p>
<p>Hermione smiled up at him, feeling no need to speak. She was certain her expression said everything she could say to Arthur and now that he was giving her what she needed so badly she was just going to enjoy it and lock it into her memory for the future. She just hoped it would last longer than a couple of minutes. Anyway, it was important that she not speak in case she inadvertently told Arthur the truth about how she felt about him, as he had done with her earlier.</p>
<p>If she hadn’t been sure about ending their relationship before, his over-affectionate address during their earlier coupling had served to remind her that it had to happen. While it was just vaguely possible that Arthur hadn’t meant anything serious by calling her his love, Hermione knew it was unlikely.</p>
<p>He had never called her that before and although it made her blood tingle and her heart race, she knew he shouldn’t be saying it, or even considering her as his love. However much she disliked the idea, that was Molly’s role in Arthur’s life and Hermione wasn’t going to usurp her. She was supposed to be nothing more than a Muggle artefact.</p>
<p>Once again her mood dipped for a moment, both at the thought that she wasn’t able to fully enjoy what they were doing — Arthur was never going to be hers so she had no choice but to leave him — and for fear of Arthur doing something stupid that he would later regret before she had a chance to break the connection between them. But as the intense sensations rose within her body, stoked by Arthur’s steady thrusting, Hermione let go of her disappointment and lost herself to the moment, her body dragging him deeper as she moved against him.</p>
<p>Arthur pulled her off the workbench and held her tightly as, still impaled on his cock, he carried Hermione over to a chair and sat down with her now on his lap.</p>
<p>Hermione grinned. The change of position was just enough to dampen her rapidly rising climax and presumably had done the same for Arthur, giving them a few more minutes of fucking time.</p>
<p>‘Fed up with the Missionary position?’</p>
<p>Arthur kissed her nose. ‘I thought you could ride for a bit. I can still see your beautiful face . . . and play with your wonderful breasts at the same time.’ His hands released her and moved to grab her breasts instead, squeezing them as Hermione gasped her appreciation. ‘Why, would you prefer to go back to it?’</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head, moaning lowly as she rolled her hips, grinding herself into Arthur’s lap. He hissed and squeezed her breasts again, his head moving forward to rest on her shoulder, his lips gently kissing the side of her neck. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the internal feeling that was rising once more, slow and steady but also relentless, the thrusting of Arthur’s cock gradually making her insides turn to liquid.</p>
<p>She could hear her breathing become shallower and faster as she tried to keep herself moving, the impending orgasm with its intense sensation slowing her movement as it ebbed and flowed, drawing ever closer, the feeling of Arthur’s hands, now playing with her nipples, aiding in the assault.</p>
<p>Hermione was so close but now the feelings building inside her were making movement difficult and she had to fight to keep the momentum going. Sensing her need, Arthur released her breasts and his hands moved to hold her bottom, helping her to move as his own thrusting continued steadily. Hermione gasped for breath, the sensation intensifying until it was almost unendurable and she wanted to scream in hopes it would release the tension.</p>
<p>Arthur cried out, his body twitching, and Hermione felt the tiny series of eruptions that started deep inside her core, spreading outwards as each one caught from the other. She could hear Arthur whispering in her ear, saying the same thing over and over again, but for the moment it was nothing but background noise and was being overtaken by the explosion of her senses. Hermione knew she had to let go, had to release everything that had built up inside her. She had to free herself.</p>
<p>‘I love you! Oh god, I love you, Arthur.’</p>
<p>Hermione felt completely drained as if all her life essence had escaped her body along with the orgasm and the sudden shocking confession. She slumped against Arthur’s shoulder. He was still whispering but now she could understand him. He was telling her that he loved her. Her heart lifted and she thought everything would be all right, that they would be able to find a way through. She loved Arthur and he loved her in return. Everything was completely perfect and Hermione knew she could never be any happier than she was in that moment.</p>
<p>‘I thought it was just me,’ Arthur said, his expression a mixture of wonder and delight.</p>
<p>He squeezed Hermione to him, his mouth searching out hers, no longer caring what was right or wrong; only knowing that his beautiful Hermione was in love with him every bit as much as he was in love with her. His heart soared as she returned the kiss, holding onto him as if she was worried he would run away from her. It was endearing and made him feel happier than he had for years.</p>
<p>Thoughts of Molly tried to work their way into his ecstatic brain but Arthur firmly pushed them away, not wanting to ruin what was probably the best moment of his life. There was time enough for guilt later when he would need to work out what the hell they were going to do, but for now he just wanted to enjoy Hermione and bask in the enjoyment of the things they had done together this evening and the knowledge that she really did belong to him, and not just as a Muggle artefact.</p>
<p>Once again, one kiss became several, but as always there came the point when both of them knew they had to stop. They’d had plenty of time today but it was almost at an end and Hermione had to go back to the house before anyone could become suspicious about where she had been or decided to come looking for her.</p>
<p>As she pulled away from Arthur, climbing from his lap to retrieve her clothes, Hermione felt the pain start within her heart, like a shard of glass sliding into it. With his actions Arthur had proved that he had no intention of stopping their inexorable march towards the destruction of his marriage, so she had no choice but to be the strong one, however heartbreaking it was to do it. And if she had to do it, Hermione wanted it over and done with quickly before she chickened out or did something unforgivable instead.         </p>
<p>‘Can I have a final kiss before you depart?’ Arthur asked hopefully as he watched Hermione dress. At least if she would agree to that it would offset the usual disappointment at her covering her gorgeous body, even if it was only for tonight. He wondered if he ought to mention the love bite on her shoulder. She had covered it up before he had a chance to point it out. He decided not to bother and opened his arms for her to step into.</p>
<p>Hermione gave him an old-fashioned look. ‘You do remember that we agreed we weren’t going to kiss again, don’t you?’</p>
<p>Arthur grinned. ‘I know, but I promise that starting tomorrow there won’t be any more kisses.’ He put his right hand up as if he was making a pledge.</p>
<p><em>You have no idea how right you are about that</em>, Hermione thought miserably as she stepped into his arms for the final time.</p>
<p>She knew she had to tell Arthur it was over but she really didn’t want to. She liked being in his arms, she liked kissing him, and more than anything she absolutely loved having sex with him. But she knew she had no choice. She wasn’t the only one who had fallen too deeply. Arthur was no longer treating her as a Muggle artefact but as a tender lover; he had admitted his love for her this evening. If he couldn’t see what was happening and wouldn’t do anything to stop it then she had no choice.</p>
<p>Hermione wrapped her arms around Arthur and kissed him with as much intensity as she could muster knowing that as with everything else they had done this evening, this was the last time she would do so. The kiss started tender and sweet, then continued with a fierceness that had them both gasping when they finally came up for air. Internally she girded herself for what she had to do, then moved back out of Arthur’s arms as she stared at him with sad eyes.</p>
<p>‘Are you okay, Hermione?’ Arthur noticed the change in his lover and anxiety burst into life, making his stomach roil. His voice was so soft and concerned-sounding that Hermione could feel unwanted tears welling up in her eyes. ‘Talk to me, my love. What’s wrong?’</p>
<p>‘I love you, Arthur,’ Hermione started, her voice wavering as she fought to hold back the tears. ‘I never meant for it to happen — you know I didn’t — but it did and now there’s nothing I can do to stop the way I feel.’ She wrapped her arms around herself defensively, trying to find the words to say what she needed Arthur to hear.</p>
<p>‘I know you do, my love. And I feel exactly the same way about you. I’ve never felt happier.’</p>
<p>Hermione just about managed to stifle the sob that was working its way to her lips. ‘But you shouldn’t feel that way. You’re married to and love Molly.’</p>
<p>Arthur stared at Hermione, his heart sinking as he suddenly understood where this was going. ‘And I do still love Molly. I always will, Hermione. But not in the way I love you. That sort of emotion has been gone for a long time. Long before you came along.’</p>
<p>Hermione was shaking her head. ‘No, no it hadn’t. You still felt that way about her in the summer when I first convinced you to make me a Muggle artefact. You felt guilty about what we were doing, I know you did, and even during this holiday — it was still there. And I don’t believe Molly’s feelings for you have ever changed. Everyone can see how much she loves you.’</p>
<p>‘You’re right that I feel guilty. But it’s not because I love Molly, it’s because I want to be with you and I know I shouldn’t feel that way when I’m still married to her,’ Arthur admitted. ‘I know it wasn’t what you were looking for, it wasn’t for me either, but it happened and we have to deal with our feelings, not try to keep them bottled up and pretend they don’t exist. We love each other, Hermione, and we have to accept it and work out what to do next.’</p>
<p>‘I know what we have to do . . . and so do you,’ Hermione said dully. ‘This has to end, Arthur. We have to stop doing this, have to keep away from each other so you can repair your relationship with Molly. You have to forget about me, have to return to your marriage and your family.’</p>
<p>‘And you think I can do that, do you?’ Arthur asked with a snort of derision. ‘I love you, Hermione. I spend every minute of every day thinking about you and the best part of my day is when you join me out here. I can assure you that whatever you’re thinking of doing isn’t going to stop the way I feel — it isn’t going to make any difference to my marriage.’</p>
<p>‘This was all my fault and I am so, so sorry. I should never have kissed you. It ruined everything.’ Hermione said miserably. ‘If I hadn’t kissed you we wouldn’t be like this. I’d still just be a Muggle artefact—’</p>
<p>‘You know that’s not true,’ Arthur retorted, cutting her off. ‘Even if we hadn’t kissed our feelings for each other would have continued to grow. Maybe not so rapidly, but it would still have happened eventually.’</p>
<p>‘But I promised you that it wouldn’t impact your marriage,’ Hermione said wretchedly. The tears were falling now as her heart twinged with pain, the expression of devastation on Arthur’s face that surely matched her own as painful to bear as everything they had done together. ‘But now your marriage is in danger of falling apart because I couldn’t keep my feelings under control. So I’m sorry, Arthur, but I have to end it. I have to.’</p>
<p>‘Hermione, please, don’t rush into this. We’ve still got a few days before you have to go back to school so we’ve got time to consider properly what we’re going to do. Then you’ll be away from me for a few months anyway. That should give us enough time to decide what happens in the future. Please, my love. Don’t run away from me now.’</p>
<p>Hermione sobbed and wiped ineffectually at her eyes, trying to clear the tears. ‘I’m sorry, Arthur, but I can’t promise you that. You don’t even understand what you’re asking.’</p>
<p>Arthur moved towards her and tried to take her in his arms, but Hermione pushed him away. He looked hurt but dropped his arms and made no further move to hold her.</p>
<p>‘I love you and I love what we’ve done but it has to stop now,’ Hermione said, trying to keep her voice low and even despite the rising urge to scream. ‘I’m sorry, but it has to. I can’t accept any other outcome. Thank you for everything you’ve given me. You are the most wonderful, caring and considerate lover. Molly has no idea just how lucky she is.’</p>
<p>Arthur opened his mouth to reply but Hermione shook her head, gazing at him with pleading eyes. ‘Please don’t say anything, Arthur. I have to leave . . . and I won’t be coming back in here.’</p>
<p>‘I love you, Hermione.’ Arthur’s voice was low and mournful.</p>
<p>‘I have to go,’ Hermione said, closing her eyes for a moment as his words tore her heart apart.</p>
<p>‘You’re running away,’ Arthur said.</p>
<p>Knowing it was true but unable to stay any longer, Hermione ran from the shed, tears once again streaming, not looking back as she went. Once she was outside the door she stopped, the sub-zero temperature stealing her breath for a moment and freezing the tears on her cheeks. Although she wasn’t dressed for a walk she knew she had to get away from the Burrow before she did something stupid.</p>
<p>Not able to think clearly, she hurried towards the gate to the field where she and her friends had played Quidditch in the past. She ran across the field screaming out all her grief and anger, trying to rid herself of her emotions before she returned to the house. For ten minutes she ran around, eventually stumbling and falling to the frost-covered ground, sobbing hoarsely as if her heart had just burst. It honestly felt like it had.</p>
<p>Hermione had no idea how long she sat there, ignoring the cold that was slowly seeping through her bones as she cried out all the until now unconscious hatred she felt for Molly for being Arthur’s wife, her despair at not being able to be with Arthur any longer, and the bitter knowledge that she would always despise herself for what she had almost caused to happen.</p>
<p>When she finally noticed she was shaking, not from the pain but from the cold, and her hands and feet were beginning to go numb, Hermione realised she had to move. The tears had finally stopped too. She knew she had to return to the house, even though she no longer had any desire to be there.</p>
<p>Slowly Hermione pulled herself to her feet. She felt lethargic and dull-witted, the cold having sunk so deep inside her she was in danger of making herself ill . . . or even dying. She lumbered her way back across the field and into the yard, hoping that she wouldn’t see Arthur. She couldn’t face him at the moment, and if he said the wrong thing she would crumble, she knew she would.</p>
<p>Although she wasn’t supposed to be leaving the Burrow until New Year’s Day, Hermione couldn’t wait that long. She couldn’t spend another two days trying to avoid Arthur and trying to stop herself from thinking uncharitable thoughts about Molly. Nothing Harry or Ron could devise would take her mind off her predicament, and even Ginny would be hard pushed to pull her out of the black mood that was descending on her with every step she got closer to the house.</p>
<p>She tried to think what excuse she could use to leave but because her mind was so dulled by the cold she couldn’t think of anything. With her parents still in Australia and unaware of her existence, she couldn’t even use the need to spend some time with them as an excuse.</p>
<p>Sighing, Hermione reached the back door, feeling the weight of what she had done come crashing down upon her, threatening to overwhelm her again. Taking a deep breath she reached out to open the door, knowing that there would at least be some warmth beyond it, then stopped.</p>
<p>In a moment the weight was lifted from her as she realised she had found an answer. She could leave the Burrow tomorrow morning, could run away before Arthur had a chance to try to change her mind. Harry and Ron had given her the perfect excuse and it was too good an opportunity to ignore. She opened the door and went into the kitchen, the sudden heat assaulting her in waves.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Tuesday 29th December 1998, Evening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur stood almost numb with grief, staring at the closed door and trying but failing to understand how his perfect evening with Hermione had turned to something so sour and painful. He understood her distress at the likely breakdown of his marriage, especially given her initial promise to him, but he hadn’t lied about his feelings either for her or Molly, and whether she liked it or not things had changed.</p>
<p>She was upset now, but once she got over the shock he would be able to talk to her rationally, would be able to convince her that things were nowhere near as bad as she feared. The truth was that until Hermione completely left school their relationship couldn’t really move on much anyway.</p>
<p>Now the initial shock was gone he could feel a pain in his chest that would debilitate him if he didn’t do something to stop it. He needed a drink. Arthur opened the drawer and pulled out the Firewhisky, pouring a larger than normal measure. He took a big swig of it and gasped at the pain, his eyes watering as the burning liquid slid down his throat and into his roiling stomach, then he poured more into the glass. He sat down and stared into the amber liquid as if he could use it to divine the future.</p>
<p>Arthur wasn’t sure what was going to be the best way to approach Hermione; he knew she had told him the truth when she said she wouldn’t return to the shed. It meant he would need to speak to her in the house and that would be somewhat tricky to accomplish with so many other people around all the time unless he could somehow convince her to come back out here. But unfortunately, in her current state of mind it was unlikely he could achieve that without a considerable amount of coaxing, which brought him back to the house being too crowded to talk properly.  </p>
<p>He wondered whether Molly could be persuaded to go and see more relatives to give him and Hermione a chance to talk during the daytime. He knew his wife had been thinking about visiting her uncle Ignatius and aunt Lucretia for quite some time now, so it might not be too hard to convince her to go before the new year. It would be more difficult to get his children and Harry out of the way, but hopefully the weather would continue dry and he could suggest they go and play Quidditch or something — they wouldn’t expect Hermione to join them for that.</p>
<p>Now settled in his mind about how he was going to effect a conversation, Arthur turned his thoughts to what he was going to say to Hermione. First he would have to reassure her that his marriage wasn’t in imminent danger of collapse, which was true . . . probably. As long as Molly didn’t find out what they had done things would continue as they were currently and would do for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>Once Hermione left school and was available to him full-time then they would need to consider more carefully how to manage their relationship. It was entirely possible that it would mean the end of his marriage, given that he would rather be with his beautiful young lover than his wife. But that was another seven months away at least, and hopefully by then the way ahead would be clearer for both of them.</p>
<p>A suggestion returned to his mind that he and Molly had discussed several times since the end of the war and now Arthur spent some time considering it in more detail. After Hermione had made her decision not to visit her parents in Australia or attempt to retrieve their memories until after she left school, they had realised that she had nowhere to call home when she wasn’t at Hogwarts.</p>
<p>This wasn’t generally a problem as she tended to spend her holidays at the Burrow with her friends anyway; it wasn’t as if she had nowhere to stay. But he and Molly had long considered whether to offer Hermione a permanent home with them as they had with Harry, particularly now that Harry and Ron were working for the Ministry of Magic and weren’t always going to be around during school holidays, which might leave Hermione feeling disenfranchised and less inclined to visit.</p>
<p>It was something they had intended to discuss with her during the New Year’s Eve celebrations; an invitation to join their family, which didn’t preclude the option of bringing her parents back but would, they hoped, give her stability at a time when she would no doubt be feeling anxious about the future.</p>
<p>At least if she knew she had a permanent place to call home she wouldn’t need to worry about what would happen once school was over and she had to start looking for a job — she would already have a roof over her head. But maybe with what had happened tonight he would need to bring the discussion forward and put her mind at ease straight away.  </p>
<p>But even as Arthur thought about making the offer to Hermione, he knew that in his heart of hearts he wasn’t doing it for altruistic reasons. He had been thinking about using it to bring Hermione closer to him, and while he had never admitted it out loud, it would circumvent the need for him to face up to the breakdown of his marriage and actually do something about it.</p>
<p>If Hermione was living with him at the Burrow they could continue as they always had without any need for change — although if she was given her own room and was no longer sharing with Ginny maybe some of his house-based fantasies could eventually become a reality too. Hopefully it would be enough to keep Hermione happy and Molly none the wiser.</p>
<p>He knew it would be disingenuous of him to offer Hermione a permanent home when he was intending to use it to further his own ends, and he suspected that if he did Hermione might reject the offer purely because she was worried about his marriage, not even thinking about the fact that doing so would leave her homeless once she left school for good.</p>
<p>Although Arthur urgently wanted to speak to her and was even more desperate for her to accept the proposal, it couldn’t come from him. Molly would need to do the talking on this one, and New Year’s Eve was still the best time. He just needed to convince Hermione not to end their relationship before then. That was going to be more than enough for one conversation.</p>
<p>Arthur drank again. At some point he really was going to have to think seriously about what would happen if he had to make a choice between Hermione and Molly. He already knew it wouldn’t be pleasant. He didn’t think any of his children would understand if he chose Hermione over their mother and he had no idea how he would even break the news to Molly.</p>
<p>Then again, Hermione didn’t want him ending his marriage, even now, so maybe he would end up chickening out and staying in a relationship that no longer made him happy rather than rocking the boat. Feeling even more unhappy at that thought, he finished the drink in his glass.</p>
<p>He poured the last of the Firewhisky into his empty glass, then raised it as if in a morose toast. Whatever she thought, Hermione wasn’t to blame for the breakdown of his marriage. Arthur had managed that one all on his own.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
<p>‘But I don’t understand why you suddenly need to leave now,’ Ron said, sounding annoyed.</p>
<p>Hermione didn’t pause as she continued to collect together her belongings and pack them into her case. Now that she had ended her relationship with Arthur she just wanted to leave. She needed to put some distance between her and the lover she’d had no choice but to leave behind before the pain of what she had done really set in and crippled her and thus exposed her perfidy to the rest of Arthur’s family.</p>
<p>The one good thing was that here in the house Arthur was unlikely to try to question her any further because of their unspoken rules, but she wasn’t in the mood for talking to Ron right at that moment either. All she wanted to do was get packed and leave the Burrow as soon as possible.</p>
<p>‘I’ve been here for a week,’ Hermione pointed out, her voice low and tense, as she stuffed yet more items into the case, knowing she should be taking more care and folding her clothes to create a bit of space but unable to do it because of her growing annoyance with her friend. ‘I need to get back to school because I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on. Don’t forget I’m taking my N.E.W.T.s in June, and regardless of what <em>you</em> think that isn’t that far away.’</p>
<p>‘But why go now? You knew you were staying until the new year,’ Ron said. He grabbed Hermione’s hand to stop her moving away from the bed in her quest for more of her clothes. ‘What’s changed to make you want to leave?’ He sighed, then added, ‘Was it what we were saying about George the other day? I know we went a bit too far with that, but I thought you’d accepted our apologies.’</p>
<p>Hermione stared at Ron for a moment, then pulled her hand from his, shaking her head.</p>
<p>‘No, it’s not that. I’ve got over that since you’ve stopped going on about it . . . and the bloody party. But I’ve done almost nothing all week and I feel like I really need to get back to it. I know I was going to stay, but you and Harry will be at work all day tomorrow and Thursday anyway, and I think Ginny’s going with your mum to see some of your relatives tomorrow, so I’ll be here on my own. You know how frustrated that will make me, especially when I could be better occupied. I’d have to leave on Friday anyway. So I might as well go back now and get some work done in readiness for the new term.’</p>
<p>‘But I thought you were going to introduce us to your mate in the pub tomorrow night,’ Ron said, grasping for reasons why Hermione shouldn’t leave.</p>
<p>‘Harry’s already met Tom and I’m sure he’s perfectly capable of opening up a dialogue if he’s there. You don’t need me for that. To be honest I’ve really lost interest now I know that the sign is Jeremiah’s Patronus. It’s a lovely sign, but I’ve got a postcard of it and I don’t really need to go to the pub again, especially as I’m still not drinking. I know Harry’s keen to find out more, which I completely understand as it’s his family, but I don’t need to be there for that, either.’</p>
<p>‘I just don’t understand why you’re so desperate to get away.’</p>
<p>‘I’m not desperate, I just want to get packed and make sure I’ve got everything ready to go so I can leave after breakfast tomorrow, at the same time as everyone else.’</p>
<p>Ron snorted. ‘It certainly looks like you’re desperate the way you’re shoving everything into your case like that.’</p>
<p>‘That’s because you’re not letting me get on with doing it and you’re making me annoyed,’ Hermione retorted. ‘If you left me to it I’d be fine.’</p>
<p>‘Have you told Mum and Dad you’re leaving?’ Ron asked.</p>
<p>Hermione froze for a few seconds, then continued her packing as she debated what to say. Should she admit that she had told Arthur she was going? If she did that she would have to say where she had seen him, and there hadn’t been any time while they were both in the house for them to have spoken. She would have to admit to visiting the shed and that would open up a whole can of worms that was best left sealed.</p>
<p>‘Not yet, but I’m sure that unlike you they’ll understand,’ Hermione told him. ‘Honestly, Ronald, I’m not running away or anything like that. I know you never liked school much but I do, and I just want to go back to Hogwarts and get on with some work. I’ve missed it.’</p>
<p>Ron’s face contorted into an expression of disgust at Hermione’s comment. There was a noise outside in the corridor and then the bedroom door opened.</p>
<p>‘Can you two talk some sense into Hermione, please?’ Ron said as Ginny started to enter the room. Harry was just behind her.</p>
<p>‘Talk sense into her for what?’ Ginny asked, dumping the pile of washing she was carrying on her bed. She saw Hermione’s suitcase and stared in surprise at her friend. ‘Where are you going, Hermione?’</p>
<p>‘I’m going to get the train back to school tomorrow,’ Hermione said.</p>
<p>‘Tomorrow? But we’re not due to go back until Friday,’ Ginny replied.</p>
<p>‘I know. But I want to go back early. I’ve spent a week on holiday and I really want to get on with some work. I’ve got a project for Ancient Runes that I need to research, but I can only do that in the Hogwarts Library.’</p>
<p>‘And it can’t wait another couple of days?’ Ginny asked. She looked and sounded sceptical.</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head. ‘Not really. To be honest I’m over Christmas now and want to get back to work. I’ve had a week of lazing around and that’s more than enough for me. Harry and Ron are going to work tomorrow, so why shouldn’t I go back?’</p>
<p>‘We’re only working ‘cos we were rostered on.’ Ron sounded peeved. ‘We wouldn’t have done it if we’d had a choice.’</p>
<p>‘And we’re supposed to be going to the pub tomorrow night,’ Harry reminded her.</p>
<p>Hermione sighed. ‘You’re perfectly capable of going to the pub and talking to Tom yourself, Harry. I don’t really want to go anyway because I’m still not drinking, and I’ve been there twice already. To be honest, there’s only so many times I can wander into Ottery St Catchpole — it’s not the most exciting of villages, especially in the middle of winter. I don’t even feel the need to go back to visit the church.’</p>
<p>‘You could come with Mum and me,’ Ginny said, but after a moment she continued, ‘No, I suppose you’re not really interested in being stuck with a load of our old relatives for the day. I don’t really want to go, so I’m sure you won’t. But do you really need to go back to school?’</p>
<p>‘I want to go back,’ Hermione said honestly.</p>
<p>‘But what about New Year’s Eve? There’s going to be another big get together with all the family, and there will be fireworks and stuff. It’ll be a real blast,’ Ron said.</p>
<p>‘To be honest, Ron, I’m not really interested in another party. As I said before, I’m not drinking so it’s probably not going to be that entertaining for me, especially if everyone else is—’</p>
<p>‘And you’re not able to go around snogging everyone indiscriminately,’ Ron cut in, somewhat snidely.</p>
<p>Icily, Hermione continued, ‘As I said, I’m not that fussed. But I’m not really keen on New Year anyway. I know it’s supposed to be a time for new beginnings, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I just keep thinking about Mum and Dad—’ Hermione broke off, not wanting to talk about her parents. She already had enough pain in her heart without adding them to the equation.</p>
<p>‘Believe me, Hermione, I know all about missing your parents and I also understand this whole holiday is probably a bit bittersweet because they’re still out there and celebrating without you,’ Harry said sympathetically. ‘But surely you don’t want to be alone on New Year’s Eve, do you? That would be even more depressing, I’d have thought.’</p>
<p>‘I’m not going to be alone, am I?’ Hermione pointed out. ‘I’ll be at school and there will be plenty of people there. They normally hold some sort of celebration there, don’t they? Some sort of party or something.’</p>
<p>‘But you won’t be with your family and friends,’ Ron said.</p>
<p>Unable to keep the tartness from her voice, Hermione told him, ‘My family are in Australia, Ronald. While it’s true that I won’t be with my <em>best</em> friends there will still be plenty of people I know. But as I said, I’m not that bothered about celebrating.’</p>
<p>‘You’ll probably just spend it in the Library anyway,’ Ron sniggered nastily.</p>
<p>Hermione gave him a sharp look. ‘It’s not open at that time of night, as you well know.’</p>
<p>‘Well, I think if Hermione wants to go back to school she should go,’ Ginny said equably. ‘What’s the point in her staying here and being unhappy? It’s not like she can go to work with you two, is it? And as I said before, visiting the rellies is going to be a major yawn. We all know Hermione’s only truly happy when she’s working . . . and she’s been here for a week so you can’t say you haven’t spent any time with her. Anyway, it’s not like you’re never going to see her again, is it? We’ll be back at Easter.’ This last was directed towards Ron, who had just opened his mouth, presumably to disagree.</p>
<p>‘Are you sure it’s not because you’re still pissed off with us?’ he asked.</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head. ‘I promise it isn’t. I just want to go back to school.’</p>
<p>Ron sighed. ‘All right. In that case we’d better let you get on. You get packed, and I’ll go and warn Mum and Dad that you’re going.’ He turned to Harry and Ginny. ‘Come on, let’s leave Hermione to it. Shall we have a game of Exploding Snap?’</p>
<p>‘I’ll be down to join you as soon as I’ve finished packing,’ Hermione promised. She gave them a weak smile and watched as the trio filed out of the bedroom.</p>
<p>Once they were gone she picked up all the items of clothing she had hastily shoved in the suitcase and dumped them on the bed. She picked up a t-shirt and began to fold it properly. At least the hardest part was over and done with. She had made the break with Arthur and convinced her friends, or Ginny at least, that she should leave; all she had left to do was discuss it briefly with Molly.</p>
<p>Molly wouldn’t try to stop her, Hermione knew, especially as Arthur would step in if she did. Although Hermione knew Arthur wasn’t happy with what she had done he would never say anything about it, certainly not with other people around. He would let her leave and would even be pleasant about it, even if it was killing him on the inside in the way it was doing with her.</p>
<p>Hermione could feel a terrible numbness inside of her, while at the same time a nasty queasy roiling feeling in her stomach made her want to throw up. Her heart hurt too, a sharp stabbing pain that she knew wasn’t going to go anytime soon and that would only be eased by being away from the Burrow and the man she loved more than anyone else in the world.</p>
<p>Automatically she folded item after item, placing them back in the case as she fought to stop the pain that was threatening to overwhelm her and fight back the tears that she could never allow to fall. Once she was completely packed, with the exception of her pyjamas, clothes for the following day and her wash bag, Hermione took a final look around the room to make sure she had got everything.</p>
<p>She didn’t want to go downstairs, didn’t want to have to see Arthur again, but she had no choice. Firstly, she had agreed to join the others to play games; at least it would keep her away from Arthur and would hopefully stop them from being so annoyed with her for going. But also she knew she had to go and speak to Molly. Ron would have told her by now, but it was common courtesy to inform her hostess that she was leaving and to thank Molly for opening her home to her.</p>
<p><em>And for sharing her husband with you</em>, a little voice in her mind whispered.</p>
<p>Hermione abruptly closed the voice down. She was already feeling bad enough about what had happened without her conscience trying to make her feel guilty about it too. Her time as a Muggle artefact was over, and while it didn’t seem like it at the moment she knew she had made the right decision. Not the right decision for her, maybe, but she had saved Arthur and Molly’s marriage and that was the correct thing to do, however much it hurt to do it.</p>
<p>At least she would be way up in the Highlands of Scotland for the foreseeable future, as far away from Arthur as she could possibly get; and in time, with a lot of help from her N.E.W.T. studies, the pain would dissipate and she would be able to think about him without wanting to throw herself into his arms and beg him to take her back as his lover, as she currently wanted to do. Once the pain was finally gone and her desire for Arthur had died, then she could return here and spend time with her friends in the way she had always done before. And next time she wouldn’t go anywhere near Arthur’s shed.</p>
<p>Unable to stay upstairs any longer, Hermione made her way out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She stopped in the area where the outerwear was kept and checked to make sure she had her hat, scarf and gloves. Once they were safely in her coat pockets she dug her boots out from the pile on the floor so she could find them easily in the morning, then realising she couldn’t put it off any longer she went into the kitchen, knowing Molly was likely to be there.</p>
<p>‘Ah, Hermione. There you are. I’m making hot chocolate for everyone. I assume you want one too?’ Molly was as friendly and happy as ever, beaming at her.</p>
<p>Hermione nodded, having suddenly lost the ability to speak.    </p>
<p>‘Ron tells me that you’ve decided to go back to school tomorrow,’ Molly continued as she bustled around the kitchen, sorting out the drinks.</p>
<p>Hermione nodded again. She swallowed hard, knowing she had to say something.</p>
<p>‘Yes. I’ve had a nice week, it’s actually been very relaxing. But I really need to get back to my studies. As I said to Ron, there’s only six months until the exams.’</p>
<p>‘I assume, knowing my son, that he wasn’t particularly sympathetic about your reasons for going?’ Molly asked knowingly.</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head this time. ‘No. But then he was never that interested in deadlines and exams when he was at school.’</p>
<p>‘And his grades showed that,’ Molly replied sardonically. She took the large saucepan of hot chocolate from the stove and began pouring it into the mugs clustered on the table. ‘I wouldn’t worry about Ronald. He’ll get over it, and he’s got to work anyway.’</p>
<p>‘That’s what I told him,’ Hermione answered. ‘I’ve enjoyed the week, but I purposely didn’t bring much work with me so I had to relax. Now I really just want to go back and start research for this project I’ve got to do for Ancient Runes.’</p>
<p>‘Well, I think it’s admirable that you have such a good work ethic, Hermione. We will miss you, though, especially on New Year’s Eve.’</p>
<p>Molly handed Hermione one of the mugs then put all the others but one on a tray.</p>
<p>‘Hmmm. To be honest, Mrs Weasley, I’m not really keen on going to another party. I’m not sure I’ve recovered from the last one yet.’</p>
<p>‘It’s only going to be family, and George will <em>not</em> be allowed anywhere near the drinks this time, but I can understand your reluctance,’ Molly said with a smile. She paused for a moment, then added, ‘Just as long as you’re not going to be on your own, getting upset about your parents. I wouldn’t be very happy to think of you being alone and unhappy.’</p>
<p>‘I’m going to be fine, thank you, Mrs Weasley. Ron said I’d be spending the evening in the Library and he was probably almost right. I won’t be, but I suspect I’ll be deep into my research by then so I won’t even notice it . . . which would be good for me right now. It’s been a bit hard thinking about my parents and knowing I can’t be with them.’</p>
<p>‘Of course it’s going to be difficult. It was a brave choice to decide to wait until you left school before doing anything about retrieving them.’</p>
<p>‘I’m sure they’re happy in their new life so it’s not a problem for them to be left like that. The problem comes when I want them back.’</p>
<p>‘They’ll be pleased to see you,’ Molly reassured her.</p>
<p>Hermione took a sip of her drink, not wanting to say anything further as the reminder of her parents had started that pain in her heart to twinge more fiercely.</p>
<p>‘Can you take the tray through for me, please?’ Molly asked. ‘I just want to clear up in here and then I’ll be in.’</p>
<p>‘Of course I can.’</p>
<p>Hermione put her own mug on the tray and picked it up. She left the kitchen and went to the lounge, looking around her briefly to see where everyone was. Harry and Ginny were sitting on the sofa. Ron was sitting on the floor opposite them with the coffee table between them. They were playing Exploding Snap.</p>
<p>Arthur was sitting in his armchair staring at the Christmas tree which still twinkled away. He looked every bit as unhappy as Hermione felt. Deciding to get the first post-relationship meeting over and done with as soon as possible, she headed in Arthur’s direction. She held out the tray, trying not to catch his eye as he took one of the mugs.</p>
<p>‘Thank you, Hermione.’ Arthur’s voice was soft. He sounded pretty unhappy too.</p>
<p>Hermione turned away and joined her friends. She put the tray down on the coffee table and sat on the floor next to Ron, then picked up her mug. Harry seemed to be winning the current game, but there was still a way to go so she sat back and sipped her chocolate as she watched them play. She knew Arthur was watching her, she could almost feel his eyes boring into her back, but she didn’t dare turn round and look back at him. She just hoped that he would stop when Molly joined them.</p>
<p>By the time the Weasley matriarch took her seat the game was over and a new one had begun. Hermione tried to concentrate on the game but between the misery she felt over her split with Arthur, the worry she felt at his watching her so intently, and the desire to flee as far away as she could, she wasn’t really playing a good game. When Ginny won, Hermione congratulated her and asked to be excused, feeling the need for an earlyish night — anything to get away from Arthur.</p>
<p>She stood up and turned to say goodnight to him and Molly.</p>
<p>‘Did you hear, Arthur? Hermione’s leaving us tomorrow,’ Molly said.</p>
<p>Arthur looked surprised for a moment, his gaze fixed on Hermione, but then he frowned. ‘I thought you and Ginny were getting the Hogwarts Express on Friday morning.’</p>
<p>Hermione fidgeted under his intense stare, feeling uncomfortable. The truth was that while she had told Arthur she was ending their relationship and leaving, she hadn’t made it clear to him that she was going straight away. Looking at him now she suspected he had intended to try to change her mind about her decision between now and the new year. It was good that she was leaving. This only proved that they had let things go too far.</p>
<p>‘Harry and Ron go back to work tomorrow so I thought I might as well go back to Hogwarts. I’ve got some research for a project I need to do and I’m feeling a bit twitchy after a whole week of not doing anything. I’ll be glad to get back there and get buried in my work again.’</p>
<p>Hermione saw the pain in Arthur’s eyes and knew she had hurt him by admitting she wanted to leave. But she was hurting too, and staying so close to each other wasn’t going to do either of them any good.</p>
<p>‘How are you intending to get there?’ Arthur asked, seeming to have recovered himself. ‘The Hogwarts Express only runs on the first day of term. Are you going to Apparate?’</p>
<p>‘No, I’m going to get a Muggle train to Edinburgh and then I’ll probably Apparate from there,’ Hermione replied.</p>
<p>She had considered Apparating straight back to the school but had decided the long train journey north would give her the time she needed to get herself into the right frame of mind. Once she arrived back at Hogwarts there would be little time for introspection, and after everything that had happened Hermione felt she needed it to get her life back into some sort of order.</p>
<p>‘Well, I can take you to Kings Cross in the morning,’ Arthur offered.</p>
<p>‘No,’ Hermione said. She realised how rude it sounded and saw Molly’s eyebrows rise in surprise, so she hurriedly added, ‘I’ll be fine thanks, Mr Weasley. I’m going to use the Floo to go to the Leaky Cauldron and then I’ll get the Tube from Leicester Square to Kings Cross.’</p>
<p>‘I don’t like the idea of you going on your own,’ Arthur said.</p>
<p>‘I’ll be fine. Honestly.’</p>
<p>‘I’m sure Hermione will be okay, Arthur. She’s Muggle-born so she knows her way around the Tube and suchlike.’ Molly chuckled and waved her finger at him chidingly. ‘You just want an excuse to go and do Muggle things again, I know you.’</p>
<p>Arthur held his hands up, looking guiltily at his wife. ‘Caught out again. Sorry, Molly.’ He looked back at Hermione. ‘The offer’s there if you want it.’</p>
<p>Hermione shook her head. ‘Honestly, I’ll be fine, Mr Weasley. I’m going to bed now. Goodnight.’</p>
<p>‘Goodnight, Hermione,’ Molly said.</p>
<p>‘Sleep well,’ Arthur added.</p>
<p>Hermione stared at him for a couple of seconds and then turned away and left the room, heading for the bedroom she shared with Ginny. She wasn’t sure whether Arthur had meant his comment of farewell or if he was accusing her of ruining his sleep. Knowing him, it was probably both.</p>
<p>The truth was that she already knew she was unlikely to sleep well after everything that had happened today. In fact, she’d be lucky if she got any sleep at all. But at least tomorrow it would all be over and she would be away from the Burrow. She just hoped she would start feeling better soon.</p>
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<p>‘As we’re all busy doing things today, I’ve cooked a proper breakfast,’ Molly said as Hermione and Ginny entered the kitchen the following morning. ‘Sit down and help yourself to tea.’</p>
<p>She indicated the kitchen table with a hand holding a spatula. Arthur was already sitting at the head of the table reading a copy of the <em>Daily Prophet</em>. Hermione and Ginny sat down on either side of him. Ginny yawned loudly and picked up the teapot.</p>
<p>‘Tea, Hermione?’</p>
<p>‘Yes please,’ Hermione responded. She was trying not to yawn herself, having had as bad a night’s sleep as she had expected. She didn’t want Arthur to know that, though.</p>
<p>Ginny started pouring the tea into two mugs. She pushed one towards Hermione, who added some milk from the jug on the table. After a moment’s thought she added a teaspoon of sugar as well in hopes that it would give her some energy.</p>
<p>‘Are Ron and Harry up yet?’ Molly asked. ‘Ginny, be a dear and go and give them a shout or they’re going to be late for work.’</p>
<p>Sighing loudly to make clear her displeasure at what she had been asked to do, Ginny got up and left the room, heading for the stairs. A moment later they could hear her as she yelled out her brother and boyfriend’s names.</p>
<p>Arthur dropped the paper and looked at Hermione over the top of it. ‘Have you changed your mind?’ he asked quietly.</p>
<p>Hermione wondered what he was talking about as the question could have so many different meanings where they were concerned. But whatever he was asking, it didn’t matter. Their relationship was still over, she was leaving the Burrow this morning, and she didn’t want or need Arthur’s help getting to the station.</p>
<p>‘No,’ she said and took a mouthful of her tea to indicate that she didn’t want to talk to him.</p>
<p>‘I meant go and get them,’ Molly said, shaking her head in exasperation as Ginny came back into the kitchen and flopped back into the seat she had vacated a couple of minutes earlier.</p>
<p>‘Harry answered,’ Ginny said. ‘He said they’ll be down in a minute. If you dish up they’ll be here by the time it’s ready.’</p>
<p>A few minutes later everyone was around the table and they each had a plate overflowing with food and a cup of tea.</p>
<p>‘This will certainly keep us going, Mrs Weasley,’ Harry said with a smile.</p>
<p>‘I’ve made you and Ronald sandwiches for lunch,’ Molly replied. She indicated one of the worktops which had a number of brown paper bags on it. ‘You too, Hermione. I know you’ve got a long journey so you’ll need something for later.’</p>
<p>Hermione smiled at her. ‘Thank you, Mrs Weasley.’</p>
<p>‘I don’t know what time we’ll be home tonight,’ Ron said. ‘I don’t know how busy it is.’</p>
<p>‘Well, if you’re going to be late then send me an owl,’ Molly told him. She looked at her husband. ‘Are you likely to be late tonight, Arthur?’</p>
<p>Arthur finished the mouthful of food he was eating. ‘No. It’s relatively quiet at the moment with Christmas holidays and stuff. Hopefully I should be home by normal time. I haven’t got any meetings scheduled for today.’</p>
<p>‘I thought I’d make a steak and kidney pie for tea,’ Molly said. ‘I’ll do it once Ginny and I get back from seeing Ignatius and Lucretia.’</p>
<p>‘That sounds lovely,’ Arthur said.</p>
<p>Hermione thought he didn’t sound as if he thought it was lovely. She dropped her napkin onto her now empty plate and took the last mouthful of her tea.</p>
<p>‘Right. I need to get going or I’m going to miss my train. I’m going to go and get my case.’</p>
<p>A few minutes later she was back, her case on the floor beside her as she pulled on her coat.</p>
<p>‘Have a good day at work,’ she told Harry and Ron as she gave each of them a huge hug. ‘I’ll write to you soon.’</p>
<p>‘Don’t work too hard,’ Ron said, his rueful smile showing that he knew she would.</p>
<p>‘I’ll see you on Friday,’ Ginny added.</p>
<p>‘Thank you for your hospitality,’ Hermione said to Molly and Arthur. ‘It’s been really nice to be here. I’ve had a lovely Christmas.’</p>
<p>Molly wrapped her arms around Hermione and hugged her. ‘It was lovely to see you, Hermione. You know you’re always welcome. We’ll see you soon — Easter, I expect?’</p>
<p>‘Yes, probably,’ Hermione replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.</p>
<p>‘Molly’s right. It’s been lovely to see you, Hermione. It’s a shame you’re going so soon,’ Arthur said. He had stood up and stepped forward and gave her a hug too.</p>
<p>Hermione felt the pain pierce her heart and she closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself not to cry. She couldn’t hold him as tightly as she wanted to or she might never let go. She pulled back and stared at him.</p>
<p>‘Thank you, Mr Weasley. I’ve really enjoyed it.’</p>
<p>For a moment Hermione thought Arthur wasn’t going to let go of her so she moved backwards, out of his arms, still watching him as his expression dulled. A moment later he sat back down and picked up the newspaper.</p>
<p>‘Are you sure you’re okay to go on your own?’ Ron asked.</p>
<p>‘Of course I am. I’ll send you an owl when I get to Hogwarts. Have a good day, everyone. I’ll see you soon.’</p>
<p>‘Don’t forget your sandwiches,’ Molly said, and she held out a bag.</p>
<p>Hermione took the lunch and put it into her handbag, then waved, took some Floo powder from the flower pot Ginny had picked up, and threw it into the fireplace. She watched as the flames flared and turned green. She picked up the case and climbed into the fire.</p>
<p>‘Leaky Cauldron,’ she announced loudly and clearly.</p>
<p>The fire flared again and Hermione was gone.</p>
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